Journalist and child killed near scene of fatal Florida shooting earlier in day

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

The Orange county sheriff, John Mina, said during a news conference on Wednesday evening that the police had detained Keith Melvin Moses, 19, who they believe is responsible for both shootings in the Orlando-area neighborhood.

Besides the Spectrum News 13 journalist and the nine-year-old girl, a TV crew member and the girl’s mother were wounded during the second shooting. They were in critical condition at a local hospital.

“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 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 nine-year-old and certainly not news professionals – should become the victim of gun violence in our community.”

Mina said authorities did not immediately have a motive for any of the shootings.

“So, the suspect is not saying much right now,” Mina said. “It is unclear if he knew they were news media or not. We’re still trying to work all that out.”

Mina said the News 13 vehicle did not look like a typical news van with TV station markings.

Deputies had initially responded to an incident in Pine Hills area, just north-west of Orlando, on Wednesday morning following reports of a woman in her 20s being shot.

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 nine-year-old,” Mina said.

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

Mina said Moses was already facing a murder charge for the initial victim, and charges were expected soon for the other four victims. Moses’s criminal history includes gun charges, as well as aggravated battery, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and grand theft offenses, 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 whole Spectrum News team,” the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre said, on Twitter.

Spectrum News 13 is not yet identifying the crew members who were involved in the shooting, according to a story on the TV station’s website.

“Please, please, say a prayer tonight for our co-worker who is in critical condition. And while you’re at it, please say a prayer for every victim of gun violence in this country,” the Spectrum 13 journalist Celeste Springer said during her live on-air report.

Worldwide, 40 journalists were reported killed last year, plus another two this year before Wednesday, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Only one of those was in the United States.