--- description: Officials identified Jarrod W. Ramos as the suspected Capital Gazette shooter that left five people dead. Here's what we know about him title: What To Know About the Suspected Capital Gazette Shooter image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d5e5c17ce8af746/6989343ffb4eac27d3897009/rts1ucud.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Crime](/tag/crime/) ## Crime Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # What to Know About the Suspected Capital Gazette Shooter by [Abigail Abrams](/author/abigail-abrams/) and [Eli Meixler](/author/eli/) Updated: Dec 12, 2023 6:59 PM CUTPublished: Jun 29, 2018 5:59 AM CUT  Jarrod Ramos, suspected of killing five people at the offices of the Capital Gazette newspaper office in Annapolis, Maryland on June 28, 2018 is seen in this 2013 Anne Arundel Police Department booking photo obtained from social media. Jarrod Ramos, suspected of killing five people at the offices of the Capital Gazette newspaper office in Annapolis, Maryland on June 28, 2018 is seen in this 2013 Anne Arundel Police Department booking photo obtained from social media.Reuters by [Abigail Abrams](/author/abigail-abrams/) and [Eli Meixler](/author/eli/) Updated: Dec 12, 2023 6:59 PM CUTPublished: Jun 29, 2018 5:59 AM CUT Jarrod W. Ramos, a 38-year-old man with a past vendetta against the _Capital Gazette_ newspaper and an alleged history of online threats, has been identified as the suspect in the [shooting that killed five employees](http://time.com/5325611/capital-gazette-newspaper-shooting/ "undefined") in the newsroom on Thursday. Ramos was charged with five counts of first-degree murder after he was arrested hiding under a desk at the newspaper’s Annapolis, Maryland office following the shooting. During an initial court appearance on Friday, prosecutors said Ramos barricaded the exit door at the newspaper so his alleged victims could not flee. Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Wes Adams said Ramos also shot one employee who tried to escape through a back door, according to the Associated Press. Ramos appeared in court via video feed. He was dressed in blue detention center clothing, and appeared attentive but did not speak, according to the Associated Press. Judge Thomas Pryal ordered Ramos held without bail. Anne Arundel County Chief Timothy Altomare told reporters that Ramos has been “uncooperative” during interviews with detectives. In a briefing Friday, Altomare again called the attack on the newspaper “targeted.” “The fellow was there to kill as many people as he could kill,” he said. Police said Ramos used a pump-action shotgun in the attack, a weapon he had purchased legally about a year ago. Among the [victims of the attack](http://time.com/5326090/capital-gazette-maryland-shooting-victims/ "undefined") were four journalists at the paper and a sales assistant. Two others sustained [minor injuries](https://apnews.com/01d23bc538ca4ae6b9b8feb3ef86f1fa "undefined"), but were later released from the hospital, according to AP. Here’s what we know about the suspected shooter Jarrod W. Ramos: ## Who is suspected gunman Jarrod W. Ramos? Jarrod W. Ramos is a 38-year-old resident of Laurel, Maryland who harbored a [long-standing grudge](http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-ramos-search-20180628-story.html "undefined") against the _Capital Gazette_. [Laurel is](http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-ramos-search-20180628-story.html "undefined") about 25 miles west of the _Capital Gazette_ offices. Law enforcement agents reportedly gathered outside Ramos’ residence Thursday. In a 2011 story, the _Capital_ identified Ramos as an employee of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics with a degree in computer engineering and no previous criminal record. The suspect’s motives are not known at this stage, but police believe he deliberately targeted the Capital _Gazette_, with police saying the shooter “looked for his victims” in the newspaper’s offices. “The shooter has [not been very forthcoming](https://apnews.com/01d23bc538ca4ae6b9b8feb3ef86f1fa "undefined"), so we don’t have any information yet on motive,” Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh said Thursday, according to AP. Altomare on Friday denied earlier reports that Ramos had damaged his fingers to prevent identification. ## Ramos had a history of online attacks against the _Capital Gazette_ Ramos reportedly held a long-standing grudge against the _Capital Gazette_, according to the [Baltimore _Sun_](http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-ramos-search-20180628-story.html "undefined"). In 2012, he filed a defamation lawsuit against then-columnist Eric Hartley, Capital Gazette Communications, and the paper’s then-editor and publisher Thomas Marquardt. The complaint centered on a July 2011 story that covered a criminal harassment case against Ramos, who had been accused of tormenting a former high school classmate with whom he had tried to reconnect with online. Ramos ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor harassment charge in the case, which the woman described as a “yearlong nightmare.” The _Capital Gazette_ reported at the time that Ramos sent multiple messages to the woman, asking for her help and then calling her vulgar names and telling her to kill herself. The defamation suit against the _Capital_ was [dismissed](https://www.mdcourts.gov/sites/default/files/import/appellate/unreportedopinions/2015/2281s13.pdf "undefined") in 2015\. Ramos then appealed and the appeal was rejected. Marquardt said that Ramos had hounded the paper and its employees with online threats for years. “I was seriously concerned he would threaten us with physical violence,” Marquardt [told](http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-ramos-search-20180628-story.html "undefined") the _Sun._ “I remember telling our attorneys, ‘This is a guy who is going to come in and shoot us,’ ” he said. ## He has been described as ‘a loner’ Ramos’ aunt, Vielka Ramos, 59, expressed disbelief over the attack and described her nephew, who grew up in nearby Severn, Maryland, as “very intelligent” but “a loner” who “wasn’t close to anybody,” the _Sun reports_. “He was very intelligent. He would try to communicate with people but he was a loner,” she said. According to the _Sun,_ Ramos stopped attending family functions after his grandmother died several years ago. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5326056/capital-gazette-shooter-jarrod-w-ramos/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5326056/capital-gazette-shooter-jarrod-w-ramos/"},"headline":"What to Know About the Suspected Capital Gazette Shooter","datePublished":"2018-06-29T05:59:08.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-12T18:59:59.000Z","description":"Jarrod W. 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