Police have termed it as 'targeted killing'.

William Krampf, deputy chief of Anne Arundel County Police, said, "This was a targeted attack on the Capital Gazette."

The attacker, who has been identified as Jarrod Ramos, entered the premises of Capital Gazette armed with a shotgun and smoke grenades.

The deceased have been identified by authorities as Wendi Winters, 65; Rebecca Smith, 34; Robert Hiaasen, 59; Gerald Fischman, 61 and John McNamara, 56.

According to local media reports, he unsuccessfully sued the newspaper group in 2012 for defamation.

The attacker is a white male in his late 30s, who has been nabbed and is presently undergoing interrogation in police custody.

The daily is owned by Baltimore Sun Media Group. Following the incident, the Baltimore Sun ran a story stating that the attacker had a long-running feud with the paper.

"A Laurel man with a long-standing grudge against The Capital is being held as the suspect in the deadly shooting Thursday at the Annapolis newspaper, according to law enforcement sources," the report read.

"Police and federal agents gathered late Thursday outside the address of 38-year-old Jarrod W. Ramos. Rich McLaughlin, chief of the Laurel police department, said his officers were there as part of the investigation into the shooting at the newspaper, and other sources identified Ramos as the suspect.

"In 2012, Ramos filed a defamation lawsuit against the paper and a columnist over a July 2011 article that covered a criminal harassment charge against him.

"He brought the suit against then-columnist Eric Hartley, naming Capital Gazette Communications and Thomas Marquardt, the paper’s former editor and publisher, as defendants," it said.

The incident, which also injured many, has been condemned by US President Donald Trump, who tweeted, "Prior to departing Wisconsin, I was briefed on the shooting at Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. Thank you to all of the First Responders who are currently on the scene."

US Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted, "Strongly condemn the evil act of senseless violence in Annapolis, MD. A violent attack on innocent journalists doing their job is an attack on every American. Our prayers are with the victims and their friends and families."

Image: Websitegrab from baltimoresun.com