Maryland newsroom shooting suspect indicted on 23 charges

The suspect in last month’s shooting at an Annapolis, Md., newspaper that left five people dead and others wounded was indicted Friday on 23 criminal charges, including five counts of first-degree murder.

Jarrod Ramos, 38, of Laurel, Md., was also charged Friday in Anne Arundel County with several counts of attempted murder, assault charges and weapons offenses, according to the Baltimore Sun.

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A spokeswoman for the Baltimore Sun Media Group, which owns the Capital Gazette, said in a statement following the indictment that the charges were an “important step” in the newsroom’s process of recovering from the June 28 attack.

“The indictment by the Anne Arundel County prosecutor’s office is an important step in the recovery process,” Renee Mutchnik said. “We understand this is just the beginning and will continue to work with investigators.”

Ramos’s next court date is set for July 30. His public defender, William Davis, declined to comment to the Sun.

The suspect faces life in prison if convicted of any of the five murder charges.

The Capital Gazette asked for volunteers this week to help the staff put out the newspaper over the next several months, days after the Senate passed a resolution honoring the shooting victims.

“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 staff wrote in a letter thanking readers who offered them support following the shooting earlier this month.

“But we also will always remember the bells of St. Anne’s ringing as members of our staff — past and present — walked down Main Street surrounded by thousands who turned out to support us in a march to City Dock.”