US TV Journalist And 9-Year-Old Girl Shot Dead At Scene Of Earlier Murder

The incident took place on Wednesday at around 4:00pm local time.

A television journalist in the United States, identified as Dylan Lyons, has been killed while reporting from the scene of a murder during a shooting spree in Florida that left a total of three people dead and two injured. A second reporter, Jesse Walden, was also injured by the same gunman, who is suspected of the other homicide, the BBC reported. 

The incident took place on Wednesday at around 4:00pm local time. As per the outlet, the journalists were covering the killing of a 38-year-old woman when the 19-year-old suspect, identified as Keith Melvin Moses, returned to the scene and attacked the TV news team. The attacker then also went to a nearby home where he fatally shot a nine-year-old girl and critically wounded her mother. 

Taking to Facebook, Gilchrist County Sheriff Bobby Schultz said, “I had the honor of knowing Dylan when he was a reporter in Gainesville, Florida. He was always professional, kind, and tenacious when covering a story. He reported the facts and did his job the way it was supposed to be done. In my 11 years of being sheriff, Dylan was definitely one of the brightest and best reporters I have worked with. I am praying for his family, friends, and work family, along with the other victims families of this despicable act of violence.”

According to the BBC, the police have detained the suspect. They said that the 19-year-old was armed when he was arrested and was not cooperating with the cops. 

Mr Moses has been formally charged with the murder of the 38-year-old woman, with whom he was acquainted. Additional charges are also set to follow relating to the other four victims, who were not known to him. 

In a news conference, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said the journalists were “in or near their vehicle”, which he said did not look like a TV station’s official vehicle when they were attacked. Mr Mina said it had been a “horrible day”. He added, “No one in our community – not a mother, not a nine-year-old and certainly not news professionals – should become the victim of gun violence in our community.”

Further, speaking about the suspect, Mr Mina said, “[He] has a lengthy criminal history, to include gun charges, aggravated battery and assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and grand theft charges”.

The sheriff described the two journalists as a reporter and a photographer for central Florida cable TV outlet Spectrum News 13, which is owned by Charter Communications.