Rob Hiaasen ( c. February 1959 – June 28 , 2018 ) was an American journalist and assistant editor at '' The Capital '' , a newspaper published in Annapolis , Maryland . He also taught at the University of Maryland 's Philip Merrill College of Journalism . A native of Plantation , then a rural suburb of Fort Lauderdale , Florida , Hiaasen began his career at '' The Palm Beach Post '' before joining '' The Baltimore Sun '' as a feature writer and where he later wrote a regular column . He was shot and killed at work at '' The Capital '' during the Capital Gazette shooting
Capital Gazette shooting
Capital Gazette shooting
Rob Hiaasen