US Newspaper Shooting: Community mourns victims of planned attack on staff in Annapolis

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02:29

It's a day after another tragic shooting in the United States. This time, the target was the staff of a newspaper in the US state of Maryland. In the aftermath, a community questioning how this could've happened. Details about the shooter have been released. CGTN's Jim Spellman is following the story.

The headline tells the story, a mass shooting in the newspaper's own newsroom. The alleged shooter is 38-year-old Jarrod Ramos. Police say he used a legally purchased shotgun in the attack.

TIMOTHY ALTOMARE ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY POLICE CHIEF "The fellow was there to kill as many people as possible."

Ramos was arrested at the scene and has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder. Authorities say he had a "long-standing grievance" with that paper dating back to 2011, when the paper reported on Ramos pleading guilty to harassing a woman over social media. He unsuccessfully sued the paper a year later. In 2013, he allegedly made online threats against the paper.

TIMOTHY ALTOMARE ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY POLICE CHIEF "There is clearly a history there. I will tell you that we were not aware of that history until last night. Should we have been in a perfect world? sure, we should have been. We were not."

U.S. President Donald Trump, who often tangles with reporters and has called the media "the enemy of the people", commented on the shooting Friday.

DONALD TRUMP US PRESIDENT "This attack shocked the conscience of the nation and filled our heart with grief. Journalists like all Americans should be free from the fear of being violently attacked while doing their job."

According to the non-profit Gun Violence Archive, this was the 154th mass shooting in the U.S. in 2018 which it defines as four or more victims shot or killed in a single incident. Once again the country is asking what can be done to stop these types of attacks. As families, friends and a community mourn these five victims, the president made this vow:

DONALD TRUMP US PRESIDENT "My government will not rest until we have done everything in our power to reduce violent crime and to protect innocent life."

JIM SPELLMAN WASHINGTON "But there are no indications that any new laws concerning gun control, mental health, public safety or anything else that might have prevented this crime are being considered by the White House. Jim Spellman, CGTN, Washington."