Police say that an Orlando TV reporter was one of the three people killed in a shooting spree in Florida on Wednesday. The reporter was covering one of the shootings.
Mina said at a news conference that the workers were employed by Spectrum News 13. Earlier, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said on Twitter that they had one person in custody –
This is 19-year-old Keith Melvin Moses, the suspect in a series of shootings today that left three dead, in OCSO custody. This is a sad day for our community. Three were murdered today, including a woman in her 20s, a 9-year-old girl and a @MyNews13 employee. pic.twitter.com/DXXkxzRHl5
— Orange County Sheriff’s Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) February 23, 2023
Keith Melvin Moses, who is 19 years old, was taken into custody and charged with murder after a shooting on Wednesday morning, Mina said.
Mina also said that Moses is likely to be charged in four other shootings that happened later in the day, including the death of the Spectrum News 13 reporter.
The death toll from mass shootings has risen in tandem with the increase in their frequency. See our reports for additional information on recent shootings:
- Body Camera Footage Shows A Police Officer Shoot And Kill A Middle School Student During Pick-up.
- Suspect Killed in Avondale Police Shooting, Authorities Say.
The sheriff said that Moses has a long list of crimes on his record, including charges of assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault, and aggravated battery.
Mina said that around 11 a.m. Wednesday, deputies went to the 6100 block of Hialeah Street, where they found a woman in her 20s who had been shot and died from her wounds.
He said that detectives came and gathered evidence. Mina said that the police don’t know why the suspect is thought to have chosen to shoot the two journalists, the mother, and the daughter. Mina said –
“At 4:05, we received 911 calls about another shooting at that location and a shooting nearby.”
Mina said that the two journalists, a photographer and a reporter, were there that morning to cover a murder and were shot in or near their car. Mina said –
“That vehicle was almost exactly in the same spot as the vehicle was from the homicide this morning. So it’s unclear why exactly they were targeted. And you know certainly, we’re going to look into that, and we will definitely let you know.”
The sheriff said –
“the vehicle didn’t look like a typical news vehicle with a lot of markings on it.”
Shortly after that shooting, police went to a third shooting on Harrington Street and found that a woman and her 9-year-old daughter had also been shot inside a home. The sheriff said that the 9-year-old has died.
Mina said that she doesn’t know why the suspect went into that house. Radio Television Digital News Association CEO Dan Shelley tweeted –
“It is with deep sadness that @RTDNA learns of the death of a @MyNews13 journalist in Orlando.”
“He was 1 of 2 of the station’s journalists shot covering a previous crime in a residential area. Sending thoughts of peace and comfort to their families, friends & the other victims.”
This is the end of our coverage of Wednesday’s shooting spree in Florida, in which an Orlando TV reporter was one of the three people killed. One of the shootings was being covered by the reporter.