Florida Shooting Spree Kills at Least 3, Including TV Reporter & 9-Year-Old Child
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - A gunman in the state of Florida allegedly killed three people, including a television reporter and a 9-year-old girl, and injured two others during a shooting spree that took place throughout the day, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
"The suspect in a series of shootings today that left three dead, including a woman in her 20's, a 9-year-old girl and a News 13 employee. We extend our deepest condolences to all of their families," the sheriff's office said Wednesday.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina during earlier remarks said the suspect, 19-year-old Keith Melvin Moses, is in police custody.
The shooter had killed a 20-year-old woman early Wednesday in Orange County, Florida, and then returned to the scene later in the day and continued his shooting spree, killing a reporter who was covering the murder from that morning. A 9-year-old from a nearby home was also killed at this period.
Two others were also shot, including the mother of the 9-year-old, and a photographer who was working with the slain News 13 reporter. The photographer and the reporter were shot while in their vehicle.
“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,” said Mina.
A fellow News 13 reporter broke down in tears while covering the story of her slain colleague.
"I apologize, this is really difficult to cover," the News 13 reporter said. "It is very emotional here at Orlando Regional Medical Center, I'm not even going to turn the camera, because there are people here who knew that reporter and his fiancée and I were just embracing."
WESH2 reporter breaks down on air covering Pine Hills, Fla shooting that killed News 13 reporter and left photog injured
— Michael Pegram (@MichaelPNews) February 23, 2023
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"But I will say this, it is nice to see all the media - we come together in solidarity in this moment. This is every reporter's absolutely worst nightmare. We go home at night afraid that something like this will occur, and that is what happened here."
Charter Communications, which is the parent company of News 13, said they were "deeply saddened by the loss of [their] colleague and the other lives senselessly taken today."
Mina added that investigators are still working to get the shooter's motive. He said the shooter's first victim, a 20-year-old woman, was someone he was acquainted with and that he shot her "in a vehicle" at about 11 a.m. local time. He returned to the scene and continued his shooting spree at 4 p.m., where he shot the News 13 reporter and the photographer.
The suspect's criminal history includes charges of aggravated battery, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and grand theft and gun violations.
“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, the White House press secretary, said on Twitter.
