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Staffers at the Capital Gazette published a powerful editorial on Sunday in response to the deadly shooting that occurred at the newspaper’s Annapolis, Maryland, offices last week.
Five Capital Gazette workers were killed Thursday after a gunman entered the building and shot them. Jarrod Warren Ramos, 38, was charged in the attack. He had a long-running feud with the paper and previously filed a defamation lawsuit against the publication in 2012. A day later, a stunned community showed an flood of support to the local paper as hundreds gathered in the streets to mourn the staffers who were killed.
“Thank you for the outpouring of sympathy for the terrible tragedy that took place Thursday in our Annapolis office,” the editorial read. “We will never forget Rob Hiaasen, Gerald Fischman, Wendi Winters, John McNamara or Rebecca Smith, our five co-workers who were gunned down in a senseless attack.”
The piece went on to thank community members for their words of appreciation for the paper’s hard work. More than 800 people subscribed to Capital Gazette’s digital edition on Friday.
The paper’s staffers were also quick to point out the ways in which they have been targeted even after a gunman shot and killed their colleagues.
“Here’s what else we won’t forget: Death threats and emails from people we don’t know celebrating our loss, or the people who called for one of our reporters to get fired because she got angry and cursed on national television after witnessing her friends getting shot,” the editorial continued.
In an apparent response to President Donald Trump’s constant attacks on the media, the staffers wrote, “We won’t forget being called an enemy of the people. No, we won’t forget that. Because exposing evil, shining light on wrongs and fighting injustice is what we do.”
Read the editorial in its entirety on the Capital Gazette’s website.
