Officials confirmed that they were responding to an active shooter situation at the offices of the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, late Thursday afternoon, according to Anne Arundel County Police.
Anne Arundel County Sheriff confirmed “multiple fatalities” and that a suspect was in custody in an interview with Fox News, adding that a number of his deputies were on the scene.
Steve Schuh, County Executive of Anne Arundel County confirmed that there were “several people who have died” and “several others who [were] injured” in the incident, according to CNN’s Phil Mattingly. The Capital Gazette later confirmed from police that “five people were killed and several others were ‘gravely injured.'”
Five people were killed and several others were “gravely injured” in a shooting at the Capital Gazette office, according to police. A shooter is in custody. https://t.co/ZTw7BuaNAk
— Capital Gazette (@capgaznews) June 28, 2018
The Gazette, owned by The Baltimore Sun, published a story on their website as the shooting was going on, confirming reports from employees inside the office who were also sharing their accounts in real-time via Twitter.
Reporter Phil Davis tweeted at 4:42 PM EST “A single shooter shot multiple people at my office, some of whom are dead.”
A single shooter shot multiple people at my office, some of whom are dead.
— Phil Davis (@PhilDavis_CG) June 28, 2018
He later tweeted “Gunman shot through the glass door to the office and opened fire on multiple employees. Can’t say much more and don’t want to declare anyone dead, but it’s bad.” Shortly after, he added “There is nothing more terrifying than hearing multiple people get shot while you’re under your desk and then hear the gunman reload.”
Police officials say officers shortly began evacuating and searching the building. BuzzFeed News reports that suspect in custody, an adult white male, had a “long gun” but didn’t exchange fire with police and was found hiding under a desk.
#update confirming active shooter at 888 Bestgate Road in Annapolis. Building evacuated. Officers continuing to search building. Relocation point is inside Lord and Taylor in the mall.
— Anne Arundel Police (@AACOPD) June 28, 2018
According to CNN, Lt. Ryan Frashure, a spokesperson for the Anne Arundel County Police Department, told CNN affiliate WJLA that, at the time, officers couldn’t yet confirm whether someone was in custody and said first responders were “doing everything [they] can to get people out safe and we’re trying to minimize the casualties.” The AP later reported via Twitter that a city spokeswoman confirmed one shooter to be in custody.
“And again, there’s a lot of factors that got into this. so there’s a lot of secondary things we have to look into also,” Frashure said, adding that there were necessary steps for responders to take to ensure there’s no additional threats on the site.
There’s an active shooter situation at the Capital Gazette newspaper building in Maryland. Police have not said anything about possible injuries or a possible suspect yet. pic.twitter.com/XaBhOTJvPM
— Meg Wagner (@megwagner) June 28, 2018
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan tweeted “Absolutely devastated to learn of this tragedy in Annapolis. I am in contact with County Executive Steve Schuh, and @MDSP is on the scene assisting @AACOPD. Please, heed all warnings and stay away from the area. Praying for those at the scene and for our community.”
Authorities later told NBC that the suspect has been identified by facial recognition technology after the suspect reportedly mutilated his fingers to avoid being identified. A search warrant has been issued for the suspect’s home.