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Capital Gazette shooting suspect Jarrod Ramos vowed to kill "every person present": Report

Md. shooting suspect sent threatening letters
Annapolis shooting suspect sent threatening letters before deadly rampage 02:36

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The alleged gunman in the Capital Gazette shooting  Thursday mailed threatening letters before his rampage at the Annapolis newspaper, reports CBS Baltimore media partner The Baltimore Sun.

Anne Arundel County Police said three letters were sent -- one to a lawyer, one to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals and one to a Baltimore City judge.

According to, the letters were dated June 28, the day of the shooting.

In the signed document, the suspect, 38-year-old Jarrod Ramos, said he was on his way to the newsroom "with the objective of killing every person present," the Sun reports.

The letters have Ramos' return address, according to what police told the Sun.

"They'll examine them and see what the letters show," Limansky said to the Sun. "It could point to different things. It could maybe open up another avenue of exploration."

Meanwhile, an overflow crowd gathered Monday evening to remember journalist Rob Hiaasen.

He and four colleagues were slain in the Gazette shooting.

Hiaasen was honored with stories, poems, and songs.

Attendees at the "celebration of life" at a Maryland nature center said they would remember Hiaasen for how he lived, rather than the way he died senselessly at the hands of a gunman twisted by hate and festering rage. They sought solace with laughter and funny memories, but sobs occasionally punctuated the ceremony.

"I want to just remember what a wonderful person Rob was and what a great, wonderful, selfless life he led," said Kevin Cowherd, one of several speakers who addressed the crowd of roughly 500 people assembled beneath a large white tent.

Cowherd, an author who worked with Hiaasen for years at The Baltimore Sun, described him as an open, fun-loving man who found humor in everything. As a writer, Hiaasen was versatile and drawn to the quirky, he said. As a colleague, he was kind and encouraging.

Hannah Hiaasen, his youngest daughter, said the family called him "Big Rob" - a nickname that perfectly fit the assistant managing editor who stood 6-foot-5. But it wasn't just his height that made the nickname ring true to those who knew him best.

"He had a really, really big heart," she said, before reading a poem in her dad's honor.

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