Four journalists and a sales assistant were killed Thursday in a shooting at a Maryland newspaper. Authorities said the gunman entered the Capital Gazette in Annapolis and "looked for his victims."
The employees killed were Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith and Wendi Winters, police said.
Hiaasen, 59, had been a feature writer at the Baltimore Sun for 15 years before moving to the Capital Gazette in 2010 as an assistant editor, The Washington Post reported.
"Rob — at 6 feet, five inches– was a giant in stature but also in character," his wife, Maria, told NBC in an email.
She added that he "loved being a dad, an editor who helped shape young talent, and a creative writer and humorist."
Hiaasen was the brother of best-selling author and journalist Carl Hiaasen.
“He was a philosopher and a poet,” Tina Reed, a former Capital Gazette reporter, told The Baltimore Sun. “He was a coach, and he was a mentor. He wanted to teach young journalists to be better.”
Carl Hiaasen said on his Facebook page he was "devastated and heartsick'' to confirm the loss of his brother in Thursday's shooting. He recalled his brother as "one of the most gentle and funny people I've ever known.''
This photo provided by the Baltimore Sun Media Group shows John McNamara, reporter and editor at the Capital Gazette, who was killed by a gunman at the paper's newsroom on June 28, 2018.
Photo credit: Baltimore Sun Media Group
McNamara was a veteran reporter and editor. On his LinkedIn page, he described himself as a beat reporter for University of Maryland athletics and the Orioles minor league system. He also helped put together the daily sports section.
McNamara had worked for Capital Gazette for more than 20 years.
“I also have an interest in local history, specifically as it relates to local high school sports,” he wrote.
A 1983 graduate of the University of Maryland in College Park, he was also a sports writer at The Herald-Mail in Hagerstown, Maryland, a copy editor at the Annapolis Capital and a staff writer and sports editor at the Journal Newspapers in Lanham, Maryland.
This photo provided by the Baltimore Sun Media Group shows Gerald Fischman, Editorial Page Editor of the Capital Gazette, who was killed by a gunman at the paper's newsroom on June 28, 2018.
Photo credit: Baltimore Sun Media Group
Fischman, 61, was the newspaper's editorial page editor. The Sun descibed him as the conscience and voice of the Annapolis news organization for more than 25 years.
“Gerald was a phenomenally smart man,” former two-term Anne Arundel County Councilman Jamie Benoit told the newspaper.
Former Capital Gazette editor Steve Gunn remembered Fischman as "the master of AP style" who "made sure everything was just right."
"He was famous for working long days and being very precise in his language and always making sure the editorial page reflected the heart of the newspaper," Gunn said in an interview with The Associated Press.
This photo provided by the Baltimore Sun Media Group shows Wendi Winters, reporter for the Capital Gazette, who was killed by a gunman at the paper's newsroom on June 28, 2018.
Photo credit: Baltimore Sun Media Group
Winters, 65, was an editor and community reporter, the Post reported.
“My mother was a wonderful woman and a fantastic reporter,” Winters Geimer told The Sun. “Her life was a gift to everyone who knew her and the world will not be the same without her. We are grieving and trying to make sure all of us can be together to celebrate the life of our mother.”
Winters was "the heart of the newspaper," Gunn said.
Winters was passionate about serving the community and a role model for younger journalist, he recalled.
"She was in many ways the best part of the newspaper in that she cared so much about the city," he said.
Smith, 34, was a sales assistant and a recent hire at the paper, the Sun reported.
“She was a very thoughtful person,” her boss, Capital Gazette advertising director Marty Padden, told the newspaper. “She was kind and considerate, and willing to help when needed. She seemed to really enjoy to be working in the media business.”
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