Capital Gazette reporters recall heroic colleague who charged the gunman, giving them time to hide

Wendi Winters.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

When a gunman opened fire on the newsroom of the Capital Gazette, in Annapolis, Maryland, last month, reporter Wendi Winters didn't hesitate, her colleagues say. The newspaper veteran charged the shooter with a trashcan and recycling bin shouting, "No! You stop that!" and "You get out of here!"

"I think that Wendi doing what she did served as enough of a distraction that maybe he didn't see us," said reporter Rachael Pacella, who was in the newsroom when the gunman, who had a longstanding grudge against the newspaper, opened fire, killing Winters and four others. "I absolutely think that Wendi Winters saved my life."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.