Five victims of US newspaper attack named as editors vow to put paper out

THE FIVE people killed in a shooting at a newspaper office in the state of Maryland in the United States have been named.

The victims were assistant news editor Rob Hiaasen, editorial page editor Gerald Fischman, special publications editor Wendi Winters, sales assistant Rebecca Smith and staff writer John McNamara.

The incident, which took place at the offices of The Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County yesterday afternoon, saw a gunman enter the newspaper's offices

Staff at the newspaper said the attacker, armed with a shotgun and smoke grenades, shot through a glass door into the newsroom.

US media have named a suspect held by police as Jarrod Ramos, who is reported to have unsuccessfully sued the newspaper group in 2012 for defamation.

Police have not confirmed a motive, although have confirmed that a white male suspect in his late 30s was taken into custody at the scene of the shooting and was being questioned.

The remaining staff at the newspaper have since vowed to put the Friday edition of The Capital Gazette, in which they name their colleagues who fell victim to the attacker.