Suspect in Maryland newsroom shooting attempted to avoid identification by mutilating his fingers: Law enforcement

Authorities have identified the gunman in the Maryland newsroom attack by using facial recognition, a law enforcement source told ABC News.

The gunman had mutilated his fingers in an apparent attempt to avoid being identified, the source said. It is unclear whether the facial recognition was from a photograph or witness, the source said.

Five people were killed and two injured Thursday after the gunman allegedly fired in at employees inside the office building of the Capital Gazette, a local daily newspaper in Annapolis.

The assailant is a white male in his 30s, Anne Arundel Police Department Deputy Chief Bill Krampf said in a news conference Thursday evening.

The police department did not release his identify, but law enforcement sources identified the alleged shooter to ABC News as Laurel, Maryland, resident Jarrod Ramos.

He was not carrying a wallet or identification and initially did not cooperate with authorities, officials told ABC News.

Investigators have not confirmed whether he had a connection to the newspaper, Krampf said.

Krampf described the shooting a “targeted attack,” and said the gunman “looked for his victims as he walked through the lower level” of the office building where the newsroom is located.

“This person was prepared today to come in,” he said. “This person was prepared to shot people. His intent was to cause harm.”

It is unclear if he knew employees or if he was just targeting the business “in general,” Krampf said.

Investigators are now securing the gunman’s Maryland residence, Krampf said.

The gunman shot through a glass door and into the office, Phil Davis, a courts and crime reporter for the Capital Gazette, tweeted.

Police arrived to the scene within about one minute and took him into custody.

There was no gunfire exchanged between the suspect and police.

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Davis tweeted that he hid under his desk as the gunman opened fire on employees, at one point stopping to reload.

ABC News’ Aaron Katersky and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.