A 19-year-old has been arrested for allegedly shooting and killing a television news employee, a girl, and a woman in her 20s in Florida.
According to Orange County Sheriff John Mina, suspect Keith Melvin Moses allegedly shot and killed a member of a Spectrum 13 News crew and a 9-year-old girl around 4 p.m. He is also accused of shooting another member of the news crew and the girl’s mother.
Mina said the mother was in critical condition as of Wednesday evening.
He said that the first shooting occurred at around 11 a.m. at the 6100 block of Hialeah in Pine Hills, Fla. Officers who responded to the scene found a woman in her 20s who was shot and succumbed to her injuries. Mina said this homicide took place in a car that was removed for processing.
Homicide detectives also arrived at the scene to conducted follow up and collect evidence. They had already “developed good leads on the suspect” when other shootings were reported at the same location around 4:05 p.m., Mina said.
Responding officers found two men shot in nearly the same spot where the morning homicide occurred, according to the sheriff. They were a reporter and photographer on the scene to report on that murder. There was also one more person in their car.
“I want to acknowledge what a terrible day this has been for our community and our media partners,” said Mina during a press conference.
He said it is unclear whether Moses was aware that the men were journalists. According to a recent report from the Committee to Protect Journalists, the number of journalists killed worldwide increased by 50% last year compared to 2021.
The vehicle doesn’t really look like a news vehicle to me,” said Mina.
After shooting the Spectrum 13 News crew, Moses allegedly went to a home nearby on Harrington. There, he shot the 9-year-old and her mother, according to Mina.
“The suspect is not saying much right now,” said Mina. However, investigators hope that Moses will open up about his motive. He does not appear to have any connection to the minor, her mother, or the news crew members.
What they do know is that Moses was an acquaintance of the woman killed Wednesday morning. Mina also said that he “has a lengthy criminal history,” that includes gun charges.
Moses was detained shortly after the 4 p.m. shootings, wearing the same clothes he had been in during the morning homicide, Mina said.
It is not clear how long he has lived in the Pine Hills area.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, and authorities are reviewing nearby ring camera footage.
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