Maryland shooting: Jarrod Warren Ramos, 38, named as suspect after five killed in gun attack on US newsroom | London Evening Standard

Maryland shooting: Jarrod Warren Ramos, 38, named as suspect after five killed in gun attack on US newsroomJarrod Warren Ramos: The suspect has been namedREUTERS

The suspected gunman in a shooting that left five people dead at a newspaper office in the US has been identified.

Jarrod Warren Ramos, 38, was arrested after the horrifying attack unfolded in the Capital Gazette office in Maryland, police have said.

Ramos, a resident of Laurel, Maryland, sued the newspaper and one of its journalists alleging defamation in 2012, according to reports.

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Police have said they believe the shooting was a targeted attack.

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Horrified witnesses described how a gunman shot through a glass door before he opened fire in the newsroom on Thursday afternoon.

The attacker threw smoke grenades and fired a shotgun at his victims, according to Anne Arundel County acting police chief William Krampf.

Police secure the scene of a shooting at the Capital Gazette newspaper officesAP

The newspaper’s editor Rob Hiassen was among those killed in the horrifying scenes, according the Baltimore Sun, which owns the newspaper group.

Four people died at office, and a fifth died after being rushed to the hospital, CNN reported.

Special tactical police descend on the scene (REUTERS)Reuters

Emergency services descended on the Capital Gazette office amid reports of an "active" shooter.

One US official said the suspect was identified using facial recognition technology after he damaged his fingerprints in what police believe was an effort to prevent him being identified easily.

No gunfire was exchanged between the suspect and police, officials said, adding that the weapon used was a “long gun”.

A reporter at the newspaper earlier tweeted about the shooting, saying that a gunman "shot through the glass door to the office".

"Can't say much more and don't want to declare anyone dead, but it's bad," said Phil Davis, the crime and courts reporter.

"There is nothing more terrifying than hearing multiple people get shot while you're under your desk and then hear the gunman reload."