The suspect accused of killing five people in a shooting at a Maryland newspaper had damaged the tips of his fingers in an apparent attempt to thwart efforts by police to identify him by his fingerprints, a law enforcement officials tells CBS News. Authorities said the suspect is a man in his 20s who they have not yet identified.
Police say the suspect opened fire Thursday afternoon at the offices of the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, killing five and injuring several others. He was taken into custody at the scene and is not cooperating with investigators, police said.
CBS News’ Jeff Pegues reports that the suspect was caught hiding under a desk.
The suspect did not have identification on his person. He’s described as having long hair. A law enforcement source says authorities are using other means of identifying him, including facial recognition technology to search databases of passports and driver’s licenses.
A law enforcement source said he carried smoke bombs or flash bangs in his backpack. Police said he used a "long gun" in the shooting, which a source said was a shotgun.
CBS News has also learned the gunman opened fire through the glass door into the newsroom. Eyewitness told authorities the shots sent reporters and other employees under desks and other hiding places.
Pegues reports that investigators will be trying determine the suspect’s motive. They will try to recover the suspect’s electronic devices — if there are any — and to see if he has any social media accounts.
In addition, investigators will try to determine if the suspect had been in to the newspaper office before. A source familiar with investigations like the one Thursday says the speed of the shooting suggest there was some familiarity. They will look into how he was able to get into the building.
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