Five people were shot, and a TV reporter was killed near Orlando, Florida, as he worked the scene where a woman was murdered earlier that morning. A 9-year-old girl was also killed in a separate but related shooting.
5 people shot: TV reporter killed when shooter returns to the scene of the crime
Five people were shot in an Orlando, Florida neighborhood, following two shooting incidents only hours apart, which left three people dead and two others fighting for their lives. It was unclear if they were targeted specifically, but authorities believe all the shootings were linked.
Started with murder of woman in the morning
On Wednesday morning, February 22, Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies were investigating an 11:17 AM discovery of a woman who had been shot to death, myNews 13 reported. The location was the suburb of Pine Hills, west of Orlando.
The woman was later identified as 38-year-old Nathacha Augustin. After the afternoon shootings, a suspect was arrested. Authorities would later learn the woman was killed inside a vehicle and was an acquaintance of the suspect, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said Wednesday, USA Today reported.
Murderer returns to the scene of the crime, goes on another shooting spree
Around 4 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, news crews were on the scene of the earlier shooting when the suspect returned.
The suspect approached a Spectrum News 13 vehicle, which the sheriff described as a van that did not have the markings of the TV station’s official vehicles, BBC reported. The suspect opened fire. Reporter Dylan Lyons, 24, and photojournalist Jesse Walden, were either “in or near their vehicle.” Lyons was killed, and Walden is in critical condition, police say.
Suspect kills 9-year-old girl and mother in 3rd shooting
The sheriff said that, after attacking the two journalists, the alleged gunman went into a nearby home where he shot and killed a 9-year-old girl. He also shot her mother, who is in the hospital in critical condition. The girl was identified as T’yonna Major, third-grader at Pine Hills Elementary School.
Teenage suspect arrested
Detectives identified Keith Melvin Moses, 19, as the suspect in the shootings.
According to authorities, Moses has a “lengthy criminal history,” which includes gun charges, aggravated battery, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, and grand theft charges.
Moses was arrested and formally charged with murder in the first shooting, and was expected to be charged with the additional shootings of four other people.
Detectives say they have not yet identified a motive for any of the shootings. However, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said that the possibility that the gunmen purposely targeted reporters was “something we will be taking a look at.” Mina added that it was also possible the suspect had mistaken the journalists for police.
Gut feeling saves other crew, White House and Sen. Scott weigh in
Orlando TV station WESH 2 reporter Senait Gebregiorgis said she and her camera operator “got a gut feeling” and decided to leave the scene for their own safety only moments before the afternoon shootings occurred.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted condolences, writing: “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.”
Republican Florida Senator Rick Scott tweeted: “This is absolutely horrible. My team and I are closely monitoring the situation and keeping these Floridians and their families in our prayers.”
