Five journalists killed in a 'targeted attack' in Annapolis newsroom

An unidentified man opened fire at journalists in a newspaper in Annapolis, the capital of Maryland, killing five and injuring several others. The attacker was armed with smoke grenades and a shotgun.

The shooting took place in the office of Capital Gazette, a local newspaper in Annapolis. This attack is termed as one of the deadliest attacks on journalists in U.S. history.

All other newspaper houses in the States were immediately undertaken by the New York police after the shooting.

Although there were no threats, but precautions were taken. Security personnels had been deployed in the offices of The New York Times, Fox News and ABC News. "These deployments are not based on specific threat information, but rather out of an abundance of caution until we learn more about the suspect and motives behind the Maryland shooting," the NYPD said in a statement.

Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley deplored the incident, saying that the community is grieving the attack on the newspaper.

"These are the guys that come to city council meetings, have to listen to boring politicians and sit there. They don't make a lot of money It's just immoral that their lives should be in danger." Buckley said.

Around 170 people working inside the office of Capital Gazette were safely evacuated from the building as police took over the shooting site.

Police spokesman Lt. Ryan Frashure said that officers reached the site within a minute taking the gunman into custody without any exchange of gunfire.

One Mr.Davis who claimed to be a reporter of Capital Gazette, tweeted that other staffs including him remained hidden under their desk as the gunmen open fired at multiple people in their office.

"I'm a police reporter. I write about this stuff not necessarily to this extent, but shootings and death all the time," he said. "But as much as I'm going to try to articulate how traumatizing it is to be hiding under your desk, you don't know until you're there and you feel helpless."

The newspaper is part of Capital Gazette Communications, which also publishes the Maryland Gazette and CapitalGazette.com.