TV reporter, 9-year-old girl fatally shot in central Florida

A central Florida television reporter and a young girl were shot and killed Wednesday afternoon near the scene of a fatal shooting earlier in the day, authorities said.

Orange County Sheriff John Mina said during a news conference Wednesday evening that they have detained Keith Melvin Moses, 19, and believe he is responsible for two shootings in the Orlando-area neighborhood.

In addition to a Spectrum News 13 reporter and a nine-year-old girl, a TV crew and the girl’s mother were injured during the double take. He is in critical condition at a local hospital.

“I want to acknowledge what a terrible day this is for our community and our media partners,” Mina told a room full of reporters.

“I work with all of you and know a lot of you and know the very difficult job that you do and also the important job that you do for the community and law enforcement. No one in our community – not a mother, not a nine-year-old and certainly not news professionals – should be victims of gun violence in our communities.

Motives are unclear

Mina says she doesn’t immediately have a motive for what happened.

“The suspect is not saying much now,” Mina said. “It’s not clear if they knew they were news media or not. We’re still trying to sort it all out.”

He said the News 13 vehicle doesn’t look like a typical news van with a TV station sign.

Deputies initially responded to the Pine Hills area, northwest of Orlando, on Wednesday morning after reports of a woman in her 20s who had been shot.

Musa “is acquainted with a woman [shot] this morning, but as far as we know, it has nothing to do with the journalist and nothing to do with the mother and the nine-year-old child,” Mina said.

According to witnesses, a man approached a news vehicle on Wednesday and opened fire and then walked into a nearby house and shot the mother and daughter.

Mina said Musa is already facing murder charges for the initial victim, and will be charged soon for the other four victims. His criminal history includes gun charges, as well as aggravated battery, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and grand theft, the sheriff said.

“Our hearts go out to the families of the reporters who died today and the injured crew members 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 a story on the TV station’s website.

“Please, please, say a prayer tonight for our co-workers who are in critical condition. And while you’re at it, please say a prayer for every victim of gun violence in this country,” Spectrum 13 reporter Celeste Springer said during a live broadcast report. they.