Vigil Remembers Slain Capital Gazette Staffers: Watch Video

ANNAPOLIS, MD — At the last of three vigils Friday night to mourn the slain Capital Gazette newspaper employee, silent crowds lined the street to Annapolis City Dock as bagpipes played "Amazing Grace." Earlier in the day tributes sprang up off Bestgate Road in honor of the five people killed Thursday at their office at The Capital. Annapolis leaders and clergy organized three vigils to honor those lost. (See Facebook Live links below.)

"Annapolis suffered a tremendous loss on Thursday. The courageous people who spend their lives keeping us informed about our beautiful town were victims of a tragic attack. This senseless violence affects us all and we stand together. On Friday night, join us for a candlelight vigil to honor those lost, those injured, and their loved ones," wrote the organizers of the 8 p.m. Vigil for The Capital on Facebook.

Jarrod Ramos, the accused gunman charged with five counts of murder after opening fire at the Capital Gazette, was apparently seeking revenge for a July 2011 article the Capital Gazette published about a criminal case against him for harassing a former high school classmate so severely she feared for her life. The article was apparently a source of anger that simmered for years.

Capital reporter Phil Davis, who tweeted from the scene of the shootings, spoke briefly, urging the crowd to remember his five co-workers who died in a situation that they had nothing to do with. "We are here to honor who they were, we are here to honor what their families have to go through."

The vigil then ended with a minute of silence with Capital staff members and Mayor Gavin Buckley holding hands.

Anne Arundel County Indivisible and local law enforcement planned a third vigil that began at Lawyers Mall and walk to Susan Campbell Park at the end of City Dock, according to the event post on Facebook. Participants are asked to bring candles, posters, prayers and copies of Friday's issue of the Capital Gazette. A short ceremony will be held at Susan Campbell Park following the walk.

And Annapolis resident Jody Couser is urging everyone in the city to follow her lead and wrap a black band around their newspaper delivery box. "It is only a symbolic gesture, of course, but I think a meaningful one, if all subscribers were to wrap a black band or ribbon around their paper box," she said.

She suggested Annapolis area residents who are not a newspaper subscriber show their support by becoming one. You can sign up here.

A local fundraiser has been established to help the families, victims and survivors of the mass shooting at the Capital Gazette, the newspaper’s owner said Friday. The Capital Gazette Families Fund will be managed through the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County, and the Michael and Jacky Ferro Family Foundation will match up to $1 million of donations, according to tronc, the parent company of The Baltimore Sun Media Group, which includes the Capital.

Michael Ferro is the largest shareholder of tronc, and the former non-executive chairman of the company.
In a letter to the company, tronc chairman and CEO Justin Dearborn said the victims would forever be remembered as “outstanding people and journalists who we will continue to honor.”

The fund is described this way on the foundation website: In honor of the Capital Gazette victims, their colleagues, and their families in Annapolis, MD, this fund has been established to provide immediate relief and long-term recovery support to those individuals directly and indirectly affected by the tragedy. Grants can be applied to grief and trauma counseling, medical expenses not covered by insurance, funeral expenses, and other associated expenses and services.

In honor of the five slain newspaper staffers, Gov. Larry Hogan ordered Maryland flags to be lowered to half-staff until sunset on Monday, July 2.

"With the lowering of the Maryland flag, we honor the dedicated journalists of our hometown newspaper in our state's capital. To the family, friends, and colleagues at the Capital Gazette and its parent company, the Baltimore Sun, you have the deepest sympathies of a state in mourning," said Governor Hogan. "There is no amount of clarity that will ever explain or nullify the pain that comes with losing so many lives for so little reason; journalism is a noble profession upon which our democracy depends, and we will fight to defend it."

• Accused Newspaper Gunman's Rampage Was Almost 8 Years In Making
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• Editor Had Feared Suspect As 'Crazy Enough' To 'Blow Us All Away'

Bloomberg Government reporter Madi Alexander started a GoFundMe page to help the shooting victims. The fund had received about $143,000 in donations by 2:30 p.m. Friday.

"Journalists at the paper are reporting on the deaths of their own colleagues. Please give what you can to help the Capital Gazette newsroom and their journalists," Alexander wrote. "Our hearts break for our colleagues in Annapolis and we want to do whatever we possibly can to help them pay for medical bills, funeral costs, newsroom repairs, and any other unforeseen expenses that might arise as a result of this terrible shooting."

The city of Annapolis posted a reminder of where residents can turn for help or mental health concerns in the wake of the shootings. The national Disaster @Distressline offers 24/7 emotional support for anyone experiencing distress or other concerns following incidents of mass violence. Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746. More info & resources @ http://1.usa.gov/1FoyCwz.

— By Patch editors Deb Belt and Elizabeth Janney

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Photos by Elizabeth Janney.