TRAGIC

White House Declines Request to Lower Flags for Annapolis Shooting

“It’s just as important as any other tragedy,” said Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley.

The White House has declined a request by Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley to lower American flags to half-staff in honor of the five killed in last week’s Capital Gazette newsroom shooting, The Baltimore Sun reports. “Obviously, I’m disappointed, you know?… Is there a cutoff for tragedy?” Buckley told the Sun. “This was an attack on the press. It was an attack on freedom of speech. It’s just as important as any other tragedy.” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan ordered Maryland state flags to be lowered from Friday through Monday evening. The White House has ordered flags be lowered in the wake of other shootings, including the Santa Fe shooting, the Parkland shooting, and the Las Vegas shooting. Five employees of The Capital were killed in the targeted attack, allegedly by Jerrod Ramos, who had a history of harassing the newspaper after its coverage of his harassment conviction.