Police chief refuses to say name of suspect in Capital Gazette shooting

The Anne Arundel County police chief says he is refusing to publicly say the name of the suspected gunman who killed five people inside the Capital Gazette newsroom on Thursday.

Chief Timothy Altomare spoke to reporters on Friday following the deadly shooting at the newspaper offices in Annapolis, Md.

“I will not say his name today,” Altomare said. “I refuse to do it.”

He then told the media members present that he wished news outlets would do the same to deny the man publicity. 

“But I know better,” Altomare said. “He doesn’t deserve us to talk about him one more second.”

Authorities believe the gunman planned a “targeted attack” with the intent to cause harm to the newsroom staff. 

The suspect has been identified as 38-year-old Jarron Ramos.

Law enforcement had to use facial recognition software to identify the suspect because his fingerprints were found to be damaged or altered beyond use, CNN reported Thursday.

Ramos reportedly held a grudge against the newspaper over its coverage of him and filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against the outlet in 2012.