A central Florida The 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 have arrested Keith Melvin Moses, 19, who they believe is responsible for both shootings in the Orlando area.
except Spectrum News 13 the journalist and the 9-year-old girl, a TV member and the girl’s mother were injured in the second shooting. They were in critical condition at a local hospital.
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“I want to acknowledge what a terrible 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 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 a news crew — should be a victim of gun violence in our community.”
Mina said they do not immediately have a motive for either shooting.
“So the suspect isn’t saying much right now,” Mina said. “It’s unclear if he knew they were news media or not. We’re still trying to sort this all out.”
Mina said the News 13 vehicle did not look like a typical news van with TV station markings.
Deputies had initially responded to the Pine Hills area, just northwest of Orlando, on Wednesday morning after reports that a woman in her 20s had been shot.
Moses “was an acquaintance of the woman this morning, but as far as we know, he 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 truck later Wednesday and opened fire, hitting the two reporters. The man then went to a nearby home and shot the mother and daughter.
WFTV crews, which also reported on the morning shooting, attempted to provide medical aid to the Spectrum 13 reporters.
Mina said Moses is already facing a murder charge for the first victim, and charges are expected soon for the other four victims. Moses’ criminal history includes weapons charges, as well as aggravated assault, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and grand larceny, the sheriff said.
“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 entire Spectrum News team,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Twitter.
Spectrum News 13 did not identify the crew members involved in the shooting, according to an article on the television station’s website.
“Please, please, say a prayer tonight for our employee who is in critical condition. And while you’re at it, say a prayer for every victim of gun violence in this country,” Spectrum 13 reporter Celeste Springer said during her live report.
Worldwide, 40 journalists were reported killed last year, plus two more this year before Wednesday, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Only one of them was in the United States.
Jeff German, who covered politics and corruption for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, was found dead outside his home in September after being stabbed multiple times.
Former Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles, a frequent subject of German’s reporting, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder.
In 2015, Virginia reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward were shot and killed during their live television broadcast for CBS affiliate WDBJ7.
The suspect, a former reporter for the TV station, died of suicide during the police search for him.
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