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CrimeUnited States of America

US: Two killed as gunman returns to deadly shooting scene

February 23, 2023

A shooter fired at a news crew reporting on a suspected homicide, killing one of the team before fatally shooting a child. Police say the suspected gunman was the same individual who had fatally shot a woman earlier.

https://p.dw.com/p/4Nre3
Orange County Sheriff John Mina addresses the media during a press conference about multiple shootings
Police said the journalist and a little girl were fatally shot near the scene of a fatal shooting from earlier in the dayImage: Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel/AP/picture alliance

A gunman shot at a news crew in Orange County in Florida on Wednesday while the team was covering another shooting that took place earlier in the day at the same location in the Orlando area.

The shooter appeared to return to the scene to carry out the attack on the journalists before going on to attack a family home.

What we know so far

A Spectrum News 13 reporter and photographer were shot, and one of them was killed as a result, the broadcaster said.

A woman and her 9-year-old daughter were also shot inside their home nearby, Sheriff John Mina of Orange County, told reporters in a press briefing. He added the child had died and the mother was in critical condition.

"It is unclear if he [the suspect] knew they were news media or not," Mina said of the crew's shooting. He added that their news van could not be easily identified as such.

The person believed to be responsible for the shootings was identified as a 19-year-old man. He was in custody.

Mina said the motive for the shootings was not yet clear.

"I work closely with all of you and know many of you and know the the very difficult job that you do and also the very important job that you do for our community and for law enforcement," the sheriff said, addressing the reporters covering the press briefing.

"No one in our community, not a mother, not a 9-year-old and certainly not news professionals, should become the victim of gun violence in our community.''

Earlier on the same day, a woman in her twenties was shot and killed in a homicide case, Mina said. He added that the gunman was the same in all the shootings.

The suspect was formally charged for the earlier shooting, and was expected to be charged later for the rest, the sheriff added.

rmt/rc (AP, Reuters)