UPDATE 3 - US: Several people shot at newspaper office in Maryland

ADDS FURTHER DETAILS

By Safvan Allahverdi

WASHINGTON (AA) - At least five people are dead and several injured in a "targeted attack" Thursday on the newsroom of the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland.

“There are five fatalities that we know of,” Anne Arundel County Acting Police Chief Bill Krampf said at a press conference near the investigation scene.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steven Schuh told U.S. media that four of the victims were shot dead at the scene. A fifth person, who was shot in the upper body and arm, died at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

The suspect was identified as 38-year-old Jarrod Warren Ramos, a white male, who used a shotgun in the attack.

Ramos has been taken into custody and is being interrogated but is not cooperating with investigators, according to officials.

According to Krampf, Ramos entered the building with the shotgun and walked through its lower level, where the newspaper is located.

Describing the incident as "a targeted attack", Krampf said it still remains unknown whether the suspect was targeting anyone in particular or if he knew employees at the paper.

"This person was prepared to shoot people. His intent was to cause harm," he said, adding that the suspect "possibly" had a connection to the paper through social media.

U.S. media claimed that Ramos filed a defamation claim in 2012 against the paper but the case was dismissed.

Confirming Krampf’s statement of a “targeted attack”, police said the suspect had also mutilated his fingers, possibly in a bid to evade identification. However, they said he was identified by using facial recognition software.

During the attack, Phil Davis, a reporter for the Gazette, said on Twitter that “a single shooter shot multiple people at my office, some of whom are dead.”

“I’m a police reporter. I write about this stuff -- not necessarily to this extent, but shootings and death -- all the time,” Davis said.

“But as much as I’m going to try to articulate how traumatizing it is to be hiding under your desk, you don’t know until you’re there and you feel helpless.”

The shooting prompted a massive police response. It was not immediately clear about the conditions of the victims as police were still confirming the number of people who were injured.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said he was “absolutely devastated to learn of this tragedy in Annapolis,” adding he was in contact with authorities and Maryland State Police who were on the scene assisting county police.

"We must unite to end the violence,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen tweeted.

President Donald Trump was briefed on the shooting while in Wisconsin for a rally.

"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 said on Twitter.

Federal agents from Baltimore’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also on the scene.