The Latest: Trump tweets ‘thoughts and prayers’ for victims

The Associated Press
The Associated Press

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The Latest on shootings at The Capital Gazette newspaper in Maryland (all times local):

5:30 p.m.

President Donald Trump says his “thoughts and prayers” are with the victims of the shooting at a newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, and their families.

Trump says in a tweet that he was briefed on the shooting at The Capital Gazette before departing Wisconsin.

He says, “My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families” and thanks “all of the First Responders who are currently on the scene.”

A shooter killed five people and wounded others at the newspaper Thursday. Police say a suspect is in custody.

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5:30 p.m.

Conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos says he was joking when he told two reporters that he couldn’t wait “for the vigilante squads to start gunning down journalists on sight.”

He said Thursday that he texted that comment to reporters at the New York Observer and The Daily Beast essentially as a way to get them off his back, and that they were responsible for taking his comments seriously and spreading it.

In a Facebook post, he expressed no sympathy to journalists involved in Thursday’s shooting. Rather, he described journalists who spread his comment about vigilante squads as “vermin.”

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5:20 p.m.

A U.S. official briefed on the investigation has identified the suspect in a shooting at a Maryland newspaper as a white male who is believed to have carried a shotgun.

The official told The Associated Press on Thursday that the suspect is not cooperating with investigators.

The official wasn’t authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

(Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo in Los Angeles contributed to this report)

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5:30 p.m.

The New York Police Department has deployed counterterrorism teams to news media organizations in response to the shooting at a newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland.

Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism and Intelligence John Miller says the deployments are not based on any specific threat information, but out of an abundance of caution. He says the NYPD is monitoring the shooting.

Police presence was seen outside The New York Times, ABC News and Fox News early Thursday evening.

Police say five people have been killed and several others were “gravely injured” in the shooting at a building housing the Capital Gazette newspaper Thursday afternoon. Authorities say one suspect is in custody.

(this item has been updated)

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4:50 p.m.

Police say five people have been killed and several others were “gravely injured” in a shooting at a building housing a Maryland newspaper.

Anne Arundel County Acting Police Chief William Krampf confirmed the deaths Thursday at a news conference.

Gov. Larry Hogan has previously said that there were “several fatalities and several people in the hospital.”

Lt Ryan Frashure of Anne Arundel County Police says the building is now secure and a suspect had been taken into custody.

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4:25 p.m.

A spokeswoman for the city of Annapolis, Maryland, says one suspect is in custody after a shooting at the building housing the Capital Gazette newspaper.

Susan O’Brien shared the information with The Associated Press in an email Thursday afternoon.

A spokeswoman for a hospital near the newspaper said two patients had arrived there but she did not know their conditions.

Anne Arundel Medical Center spokeswoman Arminta Plater said she couldn’t immediately provide any further details.

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4:15 p.m.

Police have confirmed an active shooter in the building housing a Maryland newspaper.

Lt Ryan Frashure of Anne Arundel County Police said Thursday that “we did have” an active shooter in the building where The Capital Gazette is located, and there are injuries.

He would not say whether a suspect was in custody, or give details about the extent of the victims’ injuries. He says police are first trying to make sure everyone in the building gets out safely and that there are no bombs inside.

Frashure added that we “don’t anticipate this being a mass major casualty.”

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3:55 p.m.

A reporter at the newspaper where there are reports of an active shooter say a gunman shot multiple people.

Phil Davis is a reporter at The Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis.

He tweeted Thursday that a gunman shot through the office’s glass door.

In his tweet he remarked, “There is nothing more terrifying than hearing multiple people get shot while you’re under your desk and then hear the gunman reload.”

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3:20 p.m.

Multiple people have been shot at a newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland.

The Baltimore Sun, which owns The Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis says a reporter told them of the shooting Thursday afternoon.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was responding to reports of the shooting.

Anne Arundel County Police Department spokesman Marc Limansky said officers are searching the building where the shooting was reported. He said the situation is “active and ongoing.”

On TV reports, people could be seen leaving the building with their hands up, as police officers urged them to depart through a parking lot and officers converged on the building.

Lt. Ryan Frashure, another spokesman for Anne Arundel County police, said on WJLA that officers are “doing everything to get people out safe.” He said they must look for other dangers, such as bombs and other shooters.

(this item has been edited to correct the newspaper’s name, to The Capital Gazette)

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