Annapolis newspaper shooting: What we know so far

Open this photo in gallery:

The latest

• Five people were killed Thursday at a newspaper in Annapolis, Md., after a gunman with a long-standing grudge against the paper stormed their office and opened fire.
• The suspect, Jarrod Ramos, was charged with five counts of first-degree murder on Friday. Mr. Ramos, who tried to sue The Capital Gazette in 2012 but was dismissed by the court, had made previous threats against the paper’s employees on Twitter, the paper's retired publisher told Associated Press.
• The five slain Gazette employees included four journalists and a sales assistant. Police identified them as Wendi Winters, Gerald Fischman, Robert Hiaasen, John McNamara and Rebecca Smith.
• Shaken but undeterred by the attack, the Gazette still managed to put out a print edition Friday. Its journalists were praised for their cool-headedness in reporting on their own tragedy. "In a lot of ways, it’s the perfect newspaper," former Capital Gazette editor Steve Gunn told The Globe and Mail Thursday, speaking about their track record in reporting on state government and local news.
• A verified GoFundMe campaign for The Capital Gazette's staff, set up by Bloomberg Government journalist Madi Alexander, had raised more than $100,000 by Friday morning.
• A vigil was held on Friday evening. Roughly 200 people showed up to mourn and remember the victims. 

Where and how it happened

Open this photo in gallery:

Thursday’s shooting took place at the Annapolis newsroom of The Capital Gazette, a small, collegial office shared with other newspapers in Maryland’s Anne Arundel County. On Thursday afternoon, a white man in his late 30s, armed with a shotgun and smoke grenades, burst into the newsroom. According to prosecutors, he had barricaded the door to prevent people from escaping from what police described as a targeted killing.

The gunman shot through a glass door to the office before opening fire on people, crime reporter Phil Davis reported on Twitter soon after the attack ended and he was waiting to be interviewed by police:

On Twitter, newspaper staff gave chilling reports of the attack in real time. At 2:43 p.m., an intern at the paper tweeted the newsroom’s address and a plea for help:

Staff members hid under their desks as the gunman stalked the office, stopping once to reload. Police arrived while the gunman was still on the scene, and staff members put their hands in the air and shouted, “We’re not him,” Mr. Davis recalled. The gunman, hiding under a desk, was taken into custody without exchanging fire.

The suspect

Open this photo in gallery:

Jarrod Warren Ramos, swiftly arrested by police after the attack, was charged Friday with five counts of first-degree murder.

The 38-year-old suspect from Laurel, Md., had a long, acrimonious history with The Capital Gazette, including a failed lawsuit and years of harassment of its journalists on Twitter. In 2011, Mr. Ramos plead guilty and was convicted in a criminal harassment case. Five days later, according to court documents, the newspaper published a story describing allegations by a woman who claimed Mr. Ramos harassed her online for months. But when the judge asked Mr. Ramos to point out a single statement in the article that was false or to give a single example of how it had harmed him, “he could not do so,” an appeals court wrote in upholding the dismissal.

Mr. Ramos turned to Twitter to routinely harass journalists in scores of profanity-laced tweets. One tweet targeted a journalist who was killed Thursday, Rob Hiaasen. In another, Mr. Ramos said he’d enjoy seeing the paper stop publishing, but “it would be nicer” to see two journalists “cease breathing.” Tom Marquardt, retired publisher and top editor at the paper, told The Capital Gazette he called police about Mr. Ramos in 2013 and considered filing a restraining order. “I was seriously concerned he would threaten us with physical violence,” Mr. Marquardt said.

Open this photo in gallery:

The victims

• Gerald Fischman: The editorial page editor, a 26-year veteran of the paper, was an “old-fashioned journalist,” former Gazette editor Steve Gunn told Associated Press. “He was famous for working long days and being very precise in his language and always making sure the editorial page reflected the heart of the newspaper.”
• Rob Hiaasen: Carl Hiaasen, a prolific novelist and a longtime columnist for the Miami Herald, confirmed that his brother, also a columnist and an editor, was one of the Annapolis victims. “He was the most remarkable person. So gifted and talented and dedicated to journalism,” Carl Hiaasen said in a brief phone call with Associated Press, his voice choked with emotion. Rob Hiaasen and his wife celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary a week before the shooting, the Gazette reported. He leaves three adult children.
• John McNamara: The longtime staff writer at the paper was workmanlike – “classic come to work and tell me what I need to do," Mr. Gunn, the former editorial page editor, told Associated Press.
• Rebecca Smith: A sales assistant, Ms. Smith had only recently joined the paper after working in health-care marketing, her boss, Marty Padden, told The Capital Gazette. “She was kind and considerate, and willing to help when needed," Mr. Padden said. "She seemed to really enjoy to be working in the media business.”
• Wendi Winters: The paper's special publications editor had been a veteran community reporter who covered all manner of local news. “She was in many ways the best part of the newspaper in that she cared so much about the city,” Mr. Gunn told Associated Press. The 65-year-old leaves behind four children. “Her life was a gift to everyone who knew her and the world will not be the same without her," her daughter Winters Geimer told The Capital Gazette.

Journalism under pressure, part I

In Annapolis, Maryland’s state capital, The Capital Gazette is a renowed institution that holds state government and city council to account. “It’s a community newspaper – where they cover kids’ awards and what matters to people,” Mr. Gunn, the editor from 2013 to 2015, told The Globe and Mail. “But it’s in a state capital, so there’s watchdog reporting on state government, city council and matters like that – in a lot of ways, it’s the perfect newspaper.”

The paper wasted no time in covering its own tragedy, and won praise for its professionalism under pressure. On Twitter, reporters identified who was safe and voiced their first waves of grief. The paper still managed to put out a Friday edition, with the faces of its five slain employees right at the top.

Capital Gazette editor Jimmy DeButts took to Twitter after the attack to tell the public that the newspaper’s staff are guided daily by a “passion for telling stories from our community.” In a series of tweets, Mr. DeButts tried to explain what hard-working journalists actually do day after day.

Open this photo in gallery:

Journalism under pressure, part II

Thursday’s shooting comes in a turbulent time for American news media, when U.S. President Donald Trump and his supporters have subjected news outlets to repeated partisan accusations of “fake news.” In New York, police deployed officers to news organizations’ offices after the Maryland shooting, including The New York Times.

Mr. Ramos’s political beliefs are not yet clear, and no connection has been shown between him and the so-called alt-right. But on Twitter, Reddit and white nationalist websites, several people cheered after the attack:

Mr. Trump responded on Twitter with “thoughts and prayers” for the victims and their families, and thanks to the first responders.

Commentary and analysis

Jared Yates Sexton: The Capital Gazette shooting shows we need to rally around the press, not denounce them

Associated Press, with reports from Adrian Morrow, Wendy Stueck, Mike Hager, Ian Bailey, James Keller and The New York Times

Compiled by Globe staff