Jarrod W. Ramos, who the authorities say used a shotgun to blast his way into the Capital Gazette newsroom on Thursday, killing five people and wounding two others, had a long-running dispute with the news organization.

He had previously made “general threats” against the community newspaper company over social media, including some as recent as Thursday, said William Krampf, Anne Arundel County’s acting police chief. The threats “indicated violence,” Chief Krampf said.

[Read our coverage of the shooting here.]

As recently as 2012, Mr. Ramos, who has a degree in computer engineering, worked for the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Mr. Ramos, 38, was arrested after the attack. He was found hiding under a desk.

On Friday, he appeared in court via video link, charged with five counts of first-degree murder, and was denied bail. He did not speak and showed no emotion during the hearing, staring into the camera and occasionally blinking.