The Capitol Gazette, the shooting, and the dead

NY Times  “ 'He didn’t have enough bullets for us,” Mr. Davis said, struggling to grapple with the images of his fallen colleagues. “It was terrifying to know he didn’t have enough bullets to kill everyone in that office, and had to get more.' ” . . .
From the Miami Herald:

A former leader of the Capital Gazette described the intensity with

which Ramos fought the newspaper in court.“He waged a one-person attack on anything he could muster in court against the Capital,” Tom Marquardt, a former editor and publisher of the Capital Gazette, told the Los Angeles Times. “I said during that time, ‘This guy is crazy enough to come in and blow us all away.’”Social media posts from an account in Ramos’ name indicate that — even after the lawsuit was dismissed — he held a years-long grudge against the newspaper, the Times reports.

MSM . . . "Paul Gillespie, a staff photographer, had just finished editing photos from one assignment and was preparing for the next when he heard shots behind him, and the newsroom’s glass doors shatter. Another shot, and Gillespie dove under a co-worker’s desk “and curled up as small as I could,” he said.

“I dove under that desk as fast as I could, and by the grace of God, he didn’t look over there,” he said. “I was curled up, trying not to breathe, trying not to make a sound, and he shot people all around me.”
"Gillespie said he heard one colleague scream “No!,” then a shot, then another colleague’s voice, and then another shot. Then came the sound of the gunman getting closer to where he was hiding, Gillespie said.
“ 'I kept thinking, ‘I can’t believe I’m going to die. I can’t believe this.’” Gillespie said.
"Instead, the gunman passed him, continuing to shoot, he said. Eventually, there was a lull in the shots, and Gillespie said he stood and ran for the exit, through the shattered glass, jumping over a colleague who he believed was dead as another shot rang out in his direction. Once outside, he ran to a nearby bank, where he screamed for people to call the cops." . . .

Capital Gazette shooting victim Rebecca Smith:   "Rebecca Smith was a recent hire at the Capital Gazette but had already proved herself a valuable asset.
"Smith, 34, a sales assistant, worked in the news organization’s office in Annapolis. She was one of the five people who were shot and killed Thursday afternoon.
Her boss, Capital Gazette advertising director Marty Padden, said she made sure the sales office ran smoothly.
“ 'She was a very thoughtful person,” Padden said. “She was kind and considerate, and willing to help when needed. She seemed to really enjoy to be working in the media business.” . . .


Rob Hiaasen, journalist killed in Maryland newsroom shooting, had deep South Florida ties

"Hiaasen, 59, had worked as a columnist and editor for the Capital Gazette in Annapolis since 2010. But his connections to South Florida were lifelong. He grew up with his brother, Miami Herald columnist and author Carl Hiaasen, in the Fort Lauderdale area and worked at the Palm Beach Post in the 1990s." . . .



Capital Gazette shooting victim Gerald Fischman: Clever and quirky voice of a community newspaper  . . ."Fischman’s personality was so quiet and withdrawn that it hid the brilliant mind, wry wit and “wicked pen” that his colleagues would treasure.
"For more than 25 years, Fischman was the conscience and voice of the Annapolis news organization, writing scathing, insightful and always exacting editorials about the community.
He was the guardian against libel, the arbiter of taste and a peculiar and endearing figure in a newsroom full of characters.

Capital Gazette shooting victim John McNamara: Sports reporting was his dream "John McNamara was toiling as a news copy editor at the Capital Gazette when he left to pursue his dream: sports reporting.
"He honed his skills at the Prince George’s Journal, a competitor to the Annapolis news organization. Within a few years, the Capital Gazette hired him back. He would work there for nearly 24 years.
"McNamara, 56, was one of five staff members who was shot to death at the Capital Gazette on Thursday." . . .


Capital Gazette shooting victim Wendi Winters: A prolific writer who chronicled her community  . . .  "After a career in fashion and public relations in New York City, the 65-year-old mother of four moved to Maryland 20 years ago and began stringing for the Annapolis news organization. She soon built a reputation as a prolific freelance reporter and well-known community resource.
"The Edgewater woman was one of five Capital Gazette staff members killed in the shootings Thursday.
"Her daughter Winters Geimer said the family was gathering late Thursday." . . .

The Capital Gazette web site.

At this hour the names of the wounded could not be found.