ORLANDO: A central Florida television journalist and a little girl were fatally shot Wednesday afternoon near the scene of a fatal shooting from earlier in the day, authorities said. Orange County Sheriff John Mina said during a news conference that they've detained Keith Melvin Moses, 19.
Spectrum News 13, in its news report, said two of its employees were at the homicide scene reporting on an Orange County Sheriff's Office investigation were shot Wednesday afternoon. It further said it was not currently releasing the names of the crew members involved in the shooting.
The Sheriff Office believes Moses to be responsible for both shootings in the Orlando-area neighborhood. Besides the Spectrum News 13 journalist and the 9-year-old girl, a TV crewmember and the girl's mother were wounded during the second shooting. Mina said they don't immediately have a motive for any of the shootings.
“I want to acknowledge what a horrible day this has been for our community and our media partners,” Mina told a room full of reporters. “I work closely with all of you and know many of you and know the the very difficult job that you do and also the very important job that you do for our community and for law enforcement. No one in our community — not a mother, not a 9-year-old and certainly not news professionals — should become the victim of gun violence in our community.”
Moses "was an acquaintance of the woman this morning, but as far as we know, had no connection to the reporters and no connection to the mother and the 9-year-old,” Mina said. According to witnesses, a man approached the news vehicle later Wednesday and opened fire, hitting the two reporters. The man then walked to a nearby home and shot the mother and daughter.
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, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a tweet.
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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.
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) February 23, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">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.
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) February 23, 2023Our 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.
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) February 23, 2023
"A Florida news crew was shot at while covering a homicide. The reporter is dead. The photog is in critical condition. We’re told they’re with Spectrum News 13(sic)," a twitter user Elise Waller wrote. Florida just hit international news @SkyNews because a reporter and camera operator were shot dead reporting n a homicide. I hate this so much. @GovRonDeSantis needs to step down and acknowledge he’s inept as f**k. (sic), a twitter user wrote in response to the shootout.
US President Joe Biden had earlier said the sharp increase in gun violence across America requires stronger action. "Even as we await further details on these shootings, we know the scourge of gun violence across America requires stronger action. I once again urge both chambers of Congress to act quickly and deliver this Assault Weapons Ban to my desk, and take action to keep American communities, schools, workplaces, and homes safe,” the US President said. (with AP inputs)
