In the USA, harrowing scenes are taking place in the state of Florida. After the death of a 20-year-old, her alleged killer returns to the scene of the crime and shoots more people. A journalist and a nine-year-old girl die.
The suspected killer of a woman in Florida, US, returned to the scene hours later and shot and killed a TV reporter and a child. As the Orange County police announced on Wednesday evening, a 20-year-old was murdered in a suburb of Orlando in the morning. In the afternoon, a team of TV reporters who reported on the murder from the crime scene were shot at. The reporter died, his cameraman was injured.
The shooter then broke into a nearby apartment building, where he shot a nine-year-old girl and shot and wounded her mother. According to a report by the New York Times, she and the injured cameraman are in critical condition.
The 20-year-old woman was an acquaintance of the shooter, Sheriff John Mina said. However, the motive for the murder is still unclear. There is also no obvious connection between the perpetrator and the four other people he shot.
It’s also unclear if the shooter knew the reporter and cameraman in the vehicle were journalists, police said, Sheriff Mina said, adding that the vehicle “doesn’t really look like a news vehicle to me.” They worked for the news portal Spectrum News.
The alleged perpetrator, a 19-year-old, was arrested. According to Sheriff Mina, the young man has multiple prior convictions for aggravated assault, possession of a weapon, theft and burglary.
The White House issued a statement in response to news that journalists were among the victims of the recent spate of gun violence. “Our hearts go out to the family of the journalist killed today and the injured colleague in Orange County, Fla., and to the entire Spectrum News team,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Twitter.
The National Press Club said in a statement it was “appalled” to learn of the shooting. “This is another tragic reminder that journalism is a dangerous business and that criminals and those who are the subject of reporting can become violent towards reporters doing their jobs,” the organization said. “We urge all reporters on the ground to take extra precautions and redouble their efforts to work safely.”
