Capital Gazette shooting

On June 28, 2018, a mass shooting occurred at the offices of The Capital, a newspaper serving Annapolis, Maryland. The gunman, Jarrod Ramos, barricaded a rear exit, entered the building with a 12-gauge shotgun and a backpack containing smoke bombs, flashbangs, and grenades, and opened fire on employees around 2:30 p.m. Reporter Wendi Winters charged at Ramos with a trash can and recycling bin, distracting him and allowing other staff to flee or take cover; Ramos then shot and killed her. Police arrived within about a minute of dispatch and found Ramos hiding under a desk. Five employees were killed: Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith, and Wendi Winters. Two others, targeted while trying to escape, were injured. Approximately 170 people were evacuated from the building.

The attack stemmed from a long-running dispute between Ramos and the newspaper. In 2011, The Capital published an article about Ramos being placed on probation for harassing a former high school acquaintance through social media and email. Ramos subsequently filed a defamation lawsuit against the paper, which was dismissed by a Prince George's County circuit court judge in 2015 after multiple appeals. Ramos went on to send threatening letters and messages to the newspaper, its former attorney, and the appellate judge who had ruled against him, though no legal action was taken in response to these threats at the time. Former Capital editor and publisher Thomas Marquardt had contacted police about Ramos's behavior in 2013, but the report was not pursued.

On July 20, 2018, Ramos was indicted on 23 counts, including five counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder, six counts of first-degree assault, and 11 counts of using a firearm in commission of a felony. He initially pleaded not guilty, then in 2019 pleaded not guilty and not criminally responsible, and was evaluated by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. A pretrial ruling found him legally sane enough to stand trial. Ramos subsequently pleaded guilty but not criminally responsible to all 23 counts, leaving the question of criminal responsibility for a jury. At a two-week trial in 2021, expert witnesses for the defense and prosecution offered differing diagnoses, including autism spectrum disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, delusional disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder. A court-appointed forensic psychiatrist testified that Ramos had suffered a "severe narcissistic injury" from the 2011 article and was motivated by a fixation on revenge. In July 2021, the jury found Ramos criminally responsible, rejecting his insanity defense. On September 28, 2021, he was sentenced to five life terms plus 345 years in prison.

The shooting prompted national reactions, including from the White House and law enforcement agencies in other cities, and led to journalism honors including a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation and inclusion in Time's Person of the Year 2018. Multiple memorials have since been dedicated to the victims in Annapolis.