American Red Cross holds blood drive in honor of former Capital Gazette reporter
BALTIMORE -- It has been nearly five years since there was a deadly mass shooting at an Annapolis newspaper.
The workplace shooting happened on June 28, 2018. It left dead Capital Gazette staff members Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith, and Wendi Winters.
Winters made a heroic effort to save the lives of several colleagues that day.
The gunman, Jarrod Ramos, was found criminally responsible for the shooting.
On Saturday, the Annapolis community donated blood in memory of Winters, who was a volunteer for the American Red Cross.
The American Red Cross set out to collect more than 100 pints of blood in her honor at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Annapolis.
"We are celebrating her life by doing what she would have us do," Keith Perry, the executive director of the Southern Maryland chapter of the American Red Cross, said.
Since Winters was killed, nearly 2,000 units of blood have been donated in her honor.
The American Red Cross has held blood drives in her memory every year since the shooting.
"Her legacy does live on because of this and because of other things she did, and I'm just so glad that they continue to do these blood drives because I think it's important," Cheryl Michi, who used to work with Winters, said. "It helps everyone."
Winters dedicated much of her life to helping others. She was a "proud Navy mom," church youth adviser and Girl Scout troop leader, too.