What to Know
- The NYPD has increased patrols at major news organizations across the city after the deadly shooting at Capital Gazette in Annapolis
- NYPD officials say increased patrols are only out of an abundance of caution, and there's no specific threat
- Five people died and others were injured in the newspaper shooting in Maryland Thursday, according to officials
The NYPD is sending police officers to major news organizations in the city out of an abundance of caution after a shooting at a Maryland newspaper left five people killed and others injured, according to a senior law enforcement official.
At least four NYPD officers were seen outside The New York Times building in midtown by late afternoon Thursday.
"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," said NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism and Intelligence John Miller. "It has become a standard practice to shift resources strategically during active shooter or terrorist events."
Five people died in the shooting at the Capital Gazette newspaper building in Annapolis, Maryland, the police chief there said, and others were "gravely injured."
The suspected shooter was in custody, police there said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. Police wouldn't comment on a possible motive, saying only the investigation was ongoing.
On Twitter, Capital Gazette reporter Phil Davis sent terrifying updates on the shooting.
"Gunman shot through the glass door to the office and opened fire on multiple employees. Can't say much more and don't want to declare anyone dead, but it's bad," he tweeted.
"There is nothing more terrifying than hearing multiple people get shot while you're under your desk and then hear the gunman reload," he said in another tweet.
Davis noted that he sent the messages once he was safe.
Local
Owned by The Baltimore Sun, Capital Gazette Communications publications include The Capital Gazette, The Capital, Maryland Gazette, Bowie Blade-News, Crofton-West County Gazette and Capital Style Magazine.
Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement, "We are appalled by the shooting in the Capital Gazette newsroom. Newspapers like the Gazette do vital work, and our thoughts are with them amid this unconscionable tragedy. Violence against journalists is unacceptable, and we welcome the thorough investigation into the motivations behind the shooting."
Seven journalists have been killed in relation to their work in the U.S. since CPJ began keeping records in 1992, including two journalists shot and killed during a live broadcast in Virginia by an aggrieved coworker in 2015, according to the organization. Earlier this year, a music journalist was killed in Chicago; CPJ is still investigating the motive for that killing.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement Thursday that New Yorkers were "heartbroken with the news of another mass shooting in our nation."
"It is profoundly concerning that this shooting occurred at a newspaper. The freedom of the press is a sacred American principle, and in today's divisive political climate it is more important and essential than ever," he said in a statement. "On behalf of all New Yorkers, I stand with the Capital Gazette and the people of Annapolis against violence and hate."
He added, "I mourn for the victims of the Capital Gazette shooting and their loves ones. What will it finally take for Washington to act?"
