Candlelight vigil held for victims of Maryland newsroom shooting

Three women sang "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" as they walked through Annapolis.

June 30, 2018, 1:31 AM

Members of the tight-knit community of Annapolis, Maryland, gathered to mourn the loss of five people who were shot and killed Thursday in the newsroom of its local newspaper, the Capital Gazette.

A candlelight vigil was held in the state's capital, where hundreds of attendees said prayers and held up copies of the Capital Gazette's front page on Friday, which reads, "5 shot dead at The Capital."

Reporter Phil Davis, who tweeted about hiding under his desk during the shooting just minutes after escaping harm, spoke about his late colleagues at the vigil, calling each of them "a good person."

"We are here for them and their families," Davis said. "We are here to honor who they were, we are here to honor what their families unfortunately have to go through in a time that they bore none of the responsibility for."

PHOTO: Hundreds of people attended a walking vigil in Annapolis, Md., to mourn the death of five employees of the Capital Gazette who were killed on Thursday during a shooting in the newsroom.
Hundreds of people attended a walking vigil in Annapolis, Md., to mourn the death of five employees of the Capital Gazette who were killed on Thursday during a shooting in the newsroom.
City of Annapolis
PHOTO: People gather for a vigil in response to a shooting in the Capital Gazette newsroom on June 29, 2018, in Annapolis, Md.
People gather for a vigil in response to a shooting in the Capital Gazette newsroom on June 29, 2018, in Annapolis, Md.
Patrick Semansky/AP

Wendi Winters, Rob Hiaasen, Gerald Fischman, John McNamara and Rebecca Smith died in the shooting. Smith, who worked as a sales assistant for the newspaper, was the only one killed who wasn't a journalist.

"They don't get to go home to their families," one mourner said during the walking vigil. "The families don't get to have them."

PHOTO: Residents gather for a candlelight vigil across the street from where five journalists were slain at their newspaper office in Annapolis, Md., June 29, 2018.
Residents gather for a candlelight vigil across the street from where five journalists were slain at their newspaper office in Annapolis, Md., June 29, 2018.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
PHOTO: People hug as they gather for a vigil in response to a shooting in the Capital Gazette newsroom on June 29, 2018, in Annapolis, Md.
People hug as they gather for a vigil in response to a shooting in the Capital Gazette newsroom on June 29, 2018, in Annapolis, Md.
Patrick Semansky/AP

Winters' daughters were seen embracing each other at the vigil, just one day after their mother was killed.

PHOTO: Three daughters of Wendi Winters, Winters, Summerleigh and Montana Geimer hold each other during a candlelight vigil held near the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Md., June 29, 2018.
Three daughters of Wendi Winters, Winters, Summerleigh and Montana Geimer hold each other during a candlelight vigil held near the Capital Gazette, the day after a gunman killed five people (including Wendi Winters) inside the newspaper's building in Annapolis, Md., June 29, 2018.
Leah Millis/Reuters

A lone bagpiper played "Amazing Grace" as people somberly walked through the city. Three women sang "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" as they walked, crying once the song was over.

PHOTO: People listen to a bagpipe player during a vigil in response to a shooting in the Capital Gazette newspaper office on June 29, 2018, in Annapolis, Md.
People listen to a bagpipe player during a vigil in response to a shooting in the Capital Gazette newspaper office on June 29, 2018, in Annapolis, Md.
Patrick SemanskyAP

Earlier, another vigil was held at the Annapolis mall, across the street from the Capital Gazette, where first responders had set up a reunification center the day before during the active shooting event.

PHOTO: People gather for a candlelight vigil across the street from where five journalists were slain in their newsroom in Annapolis, Md., on June 29, 2018.
People gather for a candlelight vigil across the street from where five journalists were slain in their newsroom in Annapolis, Md., on June 29, 2018.
Jose Luis Magana/AP

Despite the tragedy, employees of the Capital Gazette are continuing to put together a newspaper for the next few days, working Friday out of the offices of the Baltimore Sun, which owns the Capital Gazette, family members told ABC News.

PHOTO: Mourners stand in silence during a vigil in response to a shooting at the Capital Gazette newsroom on June 29, 2018, in Annapolis, Md.
Mourners stand in silence during a vigil in response to a shooting at the Capital Gazette newsroom on June 29, 2018, in Annapolis, Md.
Patrick Semansky/AP

The newspaper staff is expected to be back in Annapolis tomorrow.