Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON (WMAL) – A somber anniversary was observed in Annapolis Friday. It’s been one year since a man opened fire in the Capital Gazette newsroom killing five people: Gerald Fischman, editorial page editor; Rob Hiaasen, an editor and columnist; John McNamara, a sportswriter, news reporter and editor; Rebecca Smith, a sales assistant, and Wendi Winters, community news editor. A memorial garden was dedicated at Acton’s Park in Annapolis Friday morning to honor the victims.
Five rose bushes were planted in the garden, one for each life lost.
“Roses symbolize hope, promise and new beginnings, but their thorny stems also represent defense, loss and thoughtlessness, and this is the balance that we take with us as we move forward,” said Trif Alatzas, publisher and editor-in-chief of The Baltimore Sun.
Capital Gazette Editor Rick Hutzell implored people to come to the garden and think about what the five lives of his colleagues meant.
“I am far richer for having know them, and I am far poorer for having lost them,” Hutzell said.
Survivor Phil Davis, a crime reporter at the Capital, reflected on the fact that the sun was “insanely clear” on the painful anniversary and what that meant metaphorically. He asked people to remember the spider web effect the tragedy had on him and his colleagues, the entire community and the families of the victims.
“They’re going to look up at that vast expense with the rest of us, with how scared we all are, whatever the next day will bring, because, you know, who really knows, but for them, they don’t get to contextualize what the next day brings with someone that they love, someone that they cherish,” Davis said.
He asked people to remember that the families of the victims have to grapple with the fact that their loved ones are no longer with them.
Survivor Selene San Felice, also a reporter at the paper, said while her colleagues need to be remembered, she thought it would be a disservice to them to not also remember that the way that they died was preventable.
“Gun violence is a disease, but it can be eradicated, and so, when you come here, I’d also invite you to think about any ways big or small that you can help prevent that so you don’t end up like us and like them,” San Felice said, her voice wavering.
She urged the politicians at the service – including Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. John Sarbanes – to take action.
On a day marked by sorrow and anger, many shared happy memories of the victims.
Marty Patton, who oversees the Capital’s advertising department, said he hears the voices of his colleagues and feels the absence of their energy.
Patton remembered Hiaasen – whose brother Carl is a well-known author and journalist – as a friendly man who masterfully captured emotions in his stories.
He talked about seeing Winters as she grabbed her morning coffee and listening to her tell him a quirky story.
“There are still many days that I expect to see Wendi walking out of the kitchen with her morning coffee,” Patton said.
He said McNamara was a well-respected fixture in Bowie who seemed to be lost in his thoughts.
He described Fischman as a quiet man who “did his talking with his pen” and kept a library of newspapers.
He hired Smith who he said fit right in and quickly became part of their family. He last saw her the day she was killed right before he left for a meeting at the Batimore Sun, a meeting which he said saved his life.
A moment of silence was observed at 2:33 to mark the exact moment when the gunman starting shooting. At 7 Friday night the City of Annapolis will host a concert and community gathering at Maryland Hall, which will end with a candlelight illumination.
The man who was charged with murder for allegedly pulling the trigger, 39-year-old Jarrod Ramos, has pleaded not criminally responsible to all the charges filed against him.
Tuesday a judge ruled the trial for Ramos will be held in two parts. The first will determine whether he did it or not. If he is found guilty, the second phase will decide whether he is not criminally responsible because of mental illness.
Prosecutors said Ramos carried out the attack because he was angry that the paper published a story that he pleaded guilty to harassing a former high school classmate.
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