Mikulski Seeks Medal Of Freedom For Slain Capital Gazette Writer

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Retired Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski has joined the effort to persuade President Trump to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Wendi Winters, one of the five slain Capital Gazette employees killed in a mass shooting. Supporters say that Winters faced down the accused gunman with no more of a weapon than her trash and recycling bins.

"Wendi Winters gave her life, along with 4 other victims, to protect the lives of her colleagues," wrote Mikulski, who received the nation's highest civilian honor in 2015. "Using her trash and recycling bins as weapons, Ms. Winters charged fearlessly towards her attacker, yelling for him to stop. Many have said that this act of bravery distracted the gunman, giving her colleagues an opportunity to flee."

Members of Maryland's Democratic Congressional delegation sent a letter earlier this month to the White House urging President Trump to consider Winters for the honor, which has traditionally been awarded to those who have made meritorious contributions to the security of the United States, to world peace, to culture or to other significant endeavors.

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According to eyewitness accounts from survivors of the June 28 shooting, Winters armed herself with the closest weapons at hand – her trash and recycling bins – and charged the shooter, shouting for him to stop. It is believed that Wendi's actions distracted the shooter enough to enable several of her coworkers to escape, said Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, in a statement.

"Previous presidents have awarded the Medal of Freedom posthumously on dozens of occasions and we believe Wendi is a hero deserving of the same," the delegation wrote. "She died not only protecting her colleagues, but in defense of the First Amendment."

The other newspaper staffers killed in the shooting are Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, and Rebecca Smith.

Tickets are on sale for the Annapolis Rising: A Benefit for The Capital Gazette & First Responders concert benefit, which will be headlined by Maryland natives Good Charlotte. Proceeds will go to the victims' families and survivors of the June 28 Capital Gazette mass shooting. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the event.

The concert begins at noon on Saturday, July 28, one month after the shooting. The benefit will "promote freedom of the press and its importance to our country's democracy," the city says.

Local bands Dublin 5, Clones of Funk, The Great Heights Band, Higher Hands, Skribe and more local groups will perform, while the headliners are Maryland natives Good Charlotte. Journalists and editors, like Rick Hutzell and reporters of the Capital, Marty Baron of the Washington Post, and others will speak. Jordan Klepper of Comedy Central's the Daily Show, the Opposition and his new show Klepper, will be speaking at the event. Klepper has been an outspoken advocate of gun control, mainly through satirical news segments.

The event will take place entirely on the block of Calvert Street between West and Northwest streets. Children age 10 and younger will be admitted at no charge with a paying adult. Ticket holders must bring tickets with them to event. Click here to buy tickets.

The local fundraiser established to help the families, victims and survivors of the attack is The Capital Gazette Families Fund, which will be managed through the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County. 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.

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.

SEE ALSO:

• Annapolis Rising: Capital Gazette Concert's Full Lineup, Tickets
• Accused Newspaper Gunman's Rampage Was Almost 8 Years In Making
• Annapolis Shooting: Here Are The 5 Capital Gazette Victims
• 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 $205,000 in donations by July 26.

"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," Alexander wrote.

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.

PHOTO: Beads, a wooden heart and flowers decorate a photograph of Wendi Winters at a makeshift memorial outside the Capitol Gazette offices July 2, 2018 in Annapolis, Maryland. Winters, 65, a local news reporter and community columnist, was killed in a shooting along with her colleagues. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)