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Five dead, two injured at newspaper office in Annapolis

Anne Arundel County Police/facebook
Capital Gazette mass shooting suspect, Jarrod Ramos

At a bail hearing Friday, a judge ordered suspected gunman Jarrod Ramos held without bail. Governor Larry Hogan is ordering all flags in Maryland to be flown at half-staff in remembrance of the Capital Gazette shooting  victims. "Today, I have ordered Maryland flags to fly at half-staff to honor the dedicated journalists of our hometown newspaper in our state’s capital. 

To the family, friends, and colleagues at the Capital Gazette and at the Baltimore Sun parent company, you have the deepest sympathies of a state in mourning", said Hogan. "There is no amount of clarity that will ever explain or nullify the pain that comes with losing so many lives for so little reason; journalism is a noble profession upon which our democracy depends, and we will defend it at all costs."

The flags are lowered to honor Gerald Fischman, Robert Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith, and Wendi Winters."Police in Annapolis say the shooting at the "Capital Gazette" was a "targeted attack."  Five people were killed when a gunman opened fire in the Annapolis newsroom on Bestgate Road Thursday afternoon.  Two others were injured by debris and shattered glass.  

Anne Arundel Interim Police Chief Bill Krampf said the gunman was armed with a shotgun and canisters of smoke grenades.  Police identified the gunman as 38-year-old Jarrod Ramos of Laurel.  Krampf said he couldn't say whether the victims themselves were specifically targeted, or if the gunman just wanted to harm the paper in some way.

The five people killed have been identified as “Capital Gazette”  Editor and columnist Rob Hiaasen, reporter Wendi Winters, sales assistant Rebecca Smith, editorial writer Gerald Fischman and news copy editor John McNamara.  The newspaper sent out a string of tweets last night remembering each of the victims.

The social media posts of the alleged gunman show a long history of complaints and legal actions against the paper.  The suspect has been identified as 38-year-old Jarrod Ramos.  A Twitter account associated with the suspect has years of posts targeting the paper.  According to the "Gazette," Ramos sued the paper, its publisher, and a reporter for defamation over a story involving Ramos's guilty plea to criminal harassment.

A GoFundMe page is taking donations to help the "Capital Gazette" newsroom and their journalists.  Five people were killed yesterday in what police are calling a targeted attack.  Bloomberg Government reporter Madi Alexander started the campaign to help raise money to cover medical bills, funeral costs, newsroom repairs, and any other expenses.  The fundraiser has already collected over 54-thousand-dollars in donations.