- The same gunman who is also accused of the other homicide shot and killed them.
- News 13 journalists were covering the murder of a woman.
- It is unknown if they were targeted.
Florida: A TV reporter and a nine-year-old child were tragically shot outside Orlando, Florida, near the scene of a homicide that occurred hours before.
According to authorities, the same gunman who is also accused of the other homicide shot and injured a second reporter and the girl’s mother.
According to police, the two Spectrum News 13 journalists were covering the murder of a woman in the region that morning when the adolescent suspect returned.
It is unknown if they were targeted.
According to officials, the guy was armed when he was apprehended and was not cooperating with police.
None of the three victims killed in the two incidents on Wednesday in Pine Hills, a neighborhood west of Orlando, have been named.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina stated during a press conference that the journalists were “in or near their vehicle,” which did not appear to be a TV station’s official vehicle when they were attacked around 16:00 local time (22:00 GMT).
He claimed the journalists were covering a shooting earlier in the day at around 11:00 a.m. local time, in which a woman in her twenties was fatally shot inside a car when the suspect returned to the site and opened fire.
The alleged gunman, Keith Moses, 19, proceeded inside a nearby residence and shot the girl and her mother, according to the sheriff.
He went on to say that the mother was in critical condition in the hospital.
Other journalists nearby helped provide first aid to the victims.
The injured journalist has “been able to speak with investigators and colleagues,” according to Greg Angel, a news presenter for the network.
The suspect “has a lengthy criminal history, includes gun charges, aggravated battery and assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and grand theft charges,” according to Mr. Mina.
He described him as an “acquaintance” of the woman shot in the morning, “but as far as we know, he had no link to the reporters and no connection to the mother and the nine-year-old”.
Pressed about the idea that the gunman purposely targeted the reporters, Mr. Mina said “it’s something we’ll be taking a look at”.
He also stated that it was probable that the suspect mistook the media for the police.
A WESH 2 reporter said that she and her camera operator had departed the crime scene just moments before the shooting.
“We got a gut feeling” and decided to leave for their own safety, said Senait Gebregiorgis.
Charter Communications, the company that owns the TV station, released a statement calling the attack “a terrible tragedy for the Orlando community”.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and the other lives senselessly taken today,” the company said.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted condolences, saying: “Our hearts go out to the family of the journalist killed today and the crew member injured in Orange County, Florida, as well as the whole Spectrum News team.”
There were 40 journalists killed in 2022, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Only one of those killed was in the United States.
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