Capital Gazette shooting: 5 dead after shooting at Maryland newspaper; suspect in custody

Five people were killed Thursday after a gunman opened fire in the newsroom of the Capital Gazette, a newspaper in the Maryland capital, Annapolis, police officials said.

Police said others were injured in the shooting, which was reported around 2:40 p.m., but did not give a number.

At a news conference, police said a suspect is in custody. Three senior law enforcement officials who were briefed on the shooting said the gunman is a white man. They said it is believed that he used a shotgun. Police would not identify the gun used.

Phil Davis, a Gazette crime reporter who was in the building, recounted the shooting on Twitter.

MORE: Reported shooting in Annapolis, Maryland

"Gunman shot through the glass door to the office and opened fire on multiple employees," Davis said. "Can't say much more and don't want to declare anyone dead, but it's bad."

"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 in another tweet.

The Baltimore Sun, which owns the Capital Gazette, said police had also been sent to its headquarters as a precaution.

Aerial video showed people leaving the building with their hands up and a heavy police presence.

Arundel County Police Lt. Ryan Frazier said police were still talking to the suspect and a motive has not been determined.

President Donald Trump has been briefed about the shooting, the White House said. The New York Police Department is sending officers to major news organizations in New York as a precaution, according to a senior police official.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said on Twitter that he was “absolutely devastated to learn of this tragedy in Annapolis.”

Noah Turner, an Annapolis resident, said he was nearby when the shooting occurred and saw two police SWAT vehicles and around 10 police cars heading to the scene. "It's crazy," Turner said.

"I've never seen so many police cars in my life," he said. "You would not ever think it would happen here."

This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.

CORRECTION (June 28, 5:20 p.m. ET): An earlier version of this article misspelled the surname of a police lieutenant for Anne Arundel County. He is Ryan Frashure, not Frazier.