At least five people were killed today in a shooting at the building that houses the Capital Gazette, a daily newspaper published in Annapolis, a historic city an hour east of Washington.

A reporter for the Capital Gazette, Phil Davis, tweeted that "a gunman shot through the glass door to the office and opened fire on multiple employees." He said several people were killed. "There is nothing more terrifying than hearing multiple people get shot while you're under your desk and then hear the gunman reload," Davis said.

Five people killed include the assistant Editor of the newspaper Robebert Hiassen. Others dead are Wendi Winters, Special Publications, Rebecca Smith, Sales Assistant, Gerald Fischman, Editorial Page Editor and John McNamara, Staff Writer.

Four died in the spot and one succumbed to death on the way to the hospital.

Describing the situation inside the newsroom, Terry Smith a columnist for the newspaper who spoke with several survivors told CNN, Absolutely terrifying. "You can just imagine, in a completely open scene, this was on the first floor, the ground floor. There are glass windows all around the room. There is nothing except for a few half-walls at the editors' offices on the left to impede a shooter."

The shooter reportedly came and was looking for specific people to mow down.

Local police later confirmed that at least five people have been killed in the shooting. The gunman has been taken to custody. The man in his 30s has been identified as Jarrod Warren Ramos, who has had a past brush with the newspaper according to CNN. He had filed a defamation case against the newspaper in 2012 which was dismissed.

Anne Arundel County Acting Chief William Krampf said that the gunman's intention was to cause harm and it was 'targeted shooting'. There were threats made to the organisation on social media, confirmed the police official. The suspect was identified using face identification software as his fingerprints have been reportedly altered.

President Trump and Senate Speaker Paul Ryan have expressed sorrow at this horrible shooting.

White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders has described the shooting as an attack on American values.

The newspaper is located in a four-story office building in Annapolis, the capital of the US state of Maryland.

Input Syndicate feeds : PTI

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