Capital Gazette Writer John McNamara was shot today, along with multiple other victims, during an active shooter situation in Annapolis, Maryland, according to one of the newspaper’s interns. According to CBS News, four people were killed in Thursday’s attack. However, later reports confirmed that a total of five people were killed in the active shooting incident at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Maryland. The identities of the other victims have yet to be released to the public. Authorities have not yet confirmed that McNamara was one of those injured, but according to reports from the scene including the report from the intern, it appears as if McNamara was one of the people shot in today’s active shooting incident.
The shooting occurred in Annapolis, Maryland, about a half hour away from Washington DC. Several reporters sent out Tweets relaying the horrors of the shooting to the public. The motive of the gunman has yet to be known, but he has been taken into custody, according to one report.
What Happened?
An active shooter walked into the building of the newspaper Capital Gazette, where he shot and killed five people. Writer John McNamara was among those shot in today’s incident. An intern at the newspaper, Anthony Messenger sent out a cry for help from Twitter as the gunman unleashed chaos.
Anthony Messanger – Twitter
“Active shooter 888 Bestgate please help us,” Messanger wrote on Twitter during the afternoon of June 28, 2018. The police conducted cautionary sweeps at the Baltimore Sun newspaper, the owner of Capital Gazette, as a result of of the shooting reports. The intern also tweeted at the Baltimore Sun that McNamara was shot, sending out on Twitter that, “@baltimoresun John macnamara has been shot @AACOPD.”
Phil Davis, a crime and courts reporter of the Capital Gazette, sent out a series of disturbing tweets:
https://twitter.com/PhilDavis_CG/status/1012422058972676097?
https://twitter.com/PhilDavis_CG/status/1012421862402527232?
https://twitter.com/PhilDavis_CG/status/1012421008597364742?
Steve Schuh, Anne Arundel county executive, spoke with reporters, relaying the info that several people were injured and the building and that several people had been killed in the shooting.
“We have had a terrible shooting incident here this afternoon,” he said. “Those fatalities are so sad and I don’t know what to say except our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families and we take comfort knowing they’re in God’s embrace.”
The Anne Arundel police sent out a tweet during the early stages of the incident, “#update confirming active shooter at 888 Bestgate Road in Annapolis. Building evacuated. Officers continuing to search building. Relocation point is inside Lord and Taylor in the mall.”
Who is John McNamara?
John McNamara/Capital Gazette
John McNamara has worked in the local newspaper industry for over 20 years. According to his bio on the Capital Gazette‘s website, “John McNamara is the editor of the Bowie Blade-News and the Crofton-West County Gazette. He has worked in various capacities for Capital Gazette for more than 20 years.”
According to McNamara’s LinkedIn page, he had worked as a sports writer for Capital Gazette newspaper, where he has employed for 23 years.
McNamara typically writes articles about sports, however, he has written stories about others topics, including a 2015 article involving the Confederate flag. The story was called “Confederate Flag Causes Stir in Bowie.” In the article, he writes that “Most stories have two sides. This one has three. On one side is Bowie resident Linwood Holmes, who raised a Confederate flag in front of his house on Belair Drive just about the time the same flag was coming down from the South Carolina statehouse. On another are some of his neighbors, who don’t like what the flag represents or the message it sends. On the third are city officials who would like to see the flag disappear. They know of no other places in Bowie where the flag is displayed.”
According to the site College Poll Tracker, “John McNamara covers Maryland basketball and football for the Annapolis Capital, where he has worked for the last 19 years. Prior to that, he worked for the Prince George’s Journal and the Hagerstown Morning Herald after graduating with a degree in Journalism from the University of Maryland in 1983.”
The sports writer has authored several books about Maryland sports about the state’s basketball and football, which can be found on Amazon.
