A makeshift memorial outside the Annapolis Capitol Gazette offices for the employees killed by a gunman on July 2, 2018. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The families of five Maryland newspaper employees who were killed in a mass shooting in 2018 and some of the employees who were in the Capital Gazette newsroom during the attack have sued the parent company, alleging it did not do enough to prevent the attack.
Driving the news: Two lawsuits were filed on June 24 and were unsealed on Thursday, according to the Baltimore Sun, which is also named as a defendant.
- “Had Defendants taken reasonable steps to protect The Capital and its employees, Ramos would have been detected and stopped prior to entering The Capital’s newsroom, and he may never have attempted the assault at all,” one of the complaints alleged, per AP.
The big picture: Jarrod Ramos, who opened fire and killed five people in June 2018, was found criminally responsible on Thursday, with a jury rejecting defense attorneys’ mental illness arguments.
- Ramos faces a life sentence for the murders.
- Baltimore Sun Media, whose parent company is Tribune Publishing Co., acquired the Capital Gazette newspapers in 2014.
- Attorneys for the Sun denied allegations in court documents, according to AP.
- "We recognize and share the continued grief of the victims’ family members, friends and colleagues," Tribune spokeswoman Renee Mutchnik said in a statement.
- "The five lives lost in this senseless attack always will serve as a reminder of the important role that independent journalism provides for communities across America."
Go deeper: Capital Gazette gunman found criminally responsible for killing 5 people