5 Killed in Maryland Newspaper Office Shooting

At least five people have been confirmed killed and several others 'gravely injured' after a shootout at the Capital Gazette building, home to a daily newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, U.S. on Thursday.

According to Anne Arundel County police, the people inside the newspaper office were evacuated from the building and an investigation on the cause of the shooting has been launched.

The police said that one person, believed to be the suspect, has been taken into custody.

The suspect, a white male in his late 30s, entered the building at 888 Bestgate Road, with a shotgun and looked for potential victims as he walked through the lower level, the police said. Anne Arundel County Acting Police Chief William Krampf said the suspect’s intent was to cause harm.

Krampf confirmed the five deaths at a conference later. Furthermore, Anne Arundel County police Lt. Ryan Frashure said investigators are interviewing the suspect on the motive of the attack. He added that the area surrounding the Capital Gazette building was now absolutely secure.

Capital Gazette crime reporter Phil Davis tweeted from the scene, saying there’s nothing more terrifying than “hearing multiple people get shot while you’re under your desk, and then hear the gunman reload.”

That’s just one of the many tweets Davis posted shortly after a gunman opened fire on the newspaper’s office. Davis’s tweets painted a graphic picture of the incident, one of which stated that the gunman first shot through the glass door of the office before turning his weapon on multiple employees.

Earlier, the police said they first got the news of the incident at around 2:35 pm (local time) from 888 Bestgate Road near Westfield Annapolis Mall, where the newspaper office is situated.

Anne Arundel County Acting Chief William Krampf said threats were made over social media to the Capital Gazette. "We know there were threats sent to the Gazette through social media," he said. Police are trying to confirm who sent the threats, Krampf said. Some of the threats were made today, he said.

Meanwhile, the New York Police Department (NYPD) has sent its officers to major news media organisations across the United States as a precautionary measure in the wake of the incident.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who is in Wisconsin for attending a groundbreaking ceremony of the new Foxconn factory, expressed his condolences over the death of five people and thanked the "first responders" for responding to the incident quickly.

"Prior to departing Wisconsin, I was briefed on the shooting at Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. Thank you to all of the First Responders who are currently on the scene," Trump tweeted.

The Capital Gazette is one of America's oldest newspapers, beginning as the 'Evening Capital' in 1884. It serves Annapolis, Anne Arundel County and Kent Island, CNN reported.

The newspaper has a daily readership of about 67,000 and a Sunday readership of 83,000, according to the Baltimore Sun Group, which owns it.

The Capital Gazette will be publishing a newspaper tomorrow. Multiple newsroom staffers, plus reporters from its parent company, The Baltimore Sun, are working on stories for Friday's edition. (With Agency inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 29, 2018 05:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).