Florida shooter returns to crime scene and murders a working television reporter and a 9-year-old girl.
Authorities say a TV reporter for a station in central Florida and a young girl were both shot and died Wednesday afternoon at the scene of a tragic shooting that occurred earlier in the day.
At a press conference, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said they have arrested Keith Melvin Moses, 19, who they believe is to blame for both shootings in the Orlando-area.
In addition to the journalist from Spectrum News 13, a TV crew member and the 9-year-old girl were injured in the second shooting. They were in serious condition at a nearby hospital.
Mina addressed reporters in a room full of reporters and said she works closely with all of you and understands how important your role is 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 be the victim of gun violence in our community.
Mina stated that they did not immediately suspect in any of the shootings.
Mina said: "The suspect isn't saying much right now." "It is unclear whether or not he knew they were news media."
Mina said the News 13 vehicle did not appear to be a typical news van with television station markings.
On Wednesday morning, there were reports that a woman in her 20s had been shot in the Pine Hills area, just northwest of Orlando. Deputies were called to the scene.
Moses "was an acquaintance of the woman this morning," but as far as we know, had no connection to the reporters or to the mother or the 9-year-old.
Witnesses claim that a man approached the news car and started shooting at the two reporters. The man then went to a nearby residence and shot the mother and daughter later Wednesday.
WFTV crews, who were also reporting on the shooting in the morning, offered to assist the Spectrum 13 journalists who were hurt.
According to Mina, Moses is already facing murder charges for the first victim, and charges against the other four victims are expected shortly. Moses has been accused of gun crimes, as well as aggravated battery, burglary, and grand theft.
"Our hearts go out to the family of the journalist murdered today and the crew member who was injured in Orange County, Florida," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wrote on Twitter.
The crew members who were involved in the shooting were not named in a story on Spectrum News 13's website.
“Please, please, pray for our co-worker who is in serious condition,” said Spectrum 13 reporter Celeste Springer during her live broadcast.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 40 journalists were murdered in the world last year, and two more were murdered this year before Wednesday. Only one of them was in the United States.
Jeff German, a former Clark County Public Administrator who covered politics and corruption for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, was discovered dead outside his house in September. Telles has admitted not guilty to murder.
Alison Parker, a CBS affiliate WDBJ7 in Virginia, and Adam Ward, a cameraman, were shot and died in 2015 while police were looking for him. The perpetrator, a former TV station reporter, committed suicide.
