Orlando shooting – live: Suspect pretended to be asleep during police interview, sheriff says

Shooter returned to scene and killed Spectrum News 13 reporter covering earlier homicide as well as young girl before being taken into custody

Orlando shooting: Gunman kills three, including journalist and nine-year-old, sheriff says

A 19-year-old gunman accused of killing a nine-year-old girl and a local journalist reporting on his earlier homicide in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday had a “lengthy” criminal record, local authorities have said.

A 20-year-old woman had been shot dead earlier on Wednesday, prompting a crew from a local news channel reaching the spot in the Pine Hills area to cover the incident on the same day, where a journalist and a videographer was shot when the suspect returned to the scene.

Sheriff John Mina said during a press conference on Thursday that the suspect Keith Melvin Moses pretended to be asleep during an interview with police.

He added that he was taken to hospital after saying that he was unable to breathe. There, he fought with medical staff and had to be restrained. He then also become physical with detectives and had to be restrained again, the sheriff said.

Sheriff Mina said it was a “random act of violence” and that the Sheriff’s office is still working to establish why the shooting take place.

“This was not gang-related,” he added.

Key Points

• Sheriff says it’s ‘unclear’ if suspects new victims were journalists
• ‘He loved his career. He loved what he did'
• ‘This is extremely devastating for all of us’: Colleague of slain journalist speaks out
• Colleagues pay tribute to slain reporter
• Recap: TV journalist and girl, nine, shot dead at scene of previous homicide in Florida

[23 February 2023 16:00 · Joe Sommerlad]

‘A terrible tragedy for the Orlando community’

Celeste Springer, a colleague of Lyons, bravely spoke on air just hours after the tragedy and said: “This is extremely devastating for all of us. But I am proud to have such an amazing team backing all of us.

“Please, please say a prayer tonight for our co-worker who is in critical condition. And while you’re at it, please say a prayer for every victim of gun violence.”

Spectrum News itself issued a statement that read: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and the other lives senselessly taken today.

“Our thoughts are with our employee’s family, friends and co-workers during this very difficult time. We remain hopeful that our other colleague who was injured makes a full recovery.

“This is a terrible tragedy for the Orlando community.”

[23 February 2023 16:30 · Joe Sommerlad]

‘He loved his career. He loved what he did'

In a moving tribute to Lyons, his Spectrum News colleagues explained that he had been born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but had moved to the Sunshine State to study at the University of Central Florida, beginning his media career in Gainesville after graduating.

“He took his job very seriously,” remembered his friend Josh Miller, a sports reporter with the network.

“He loved his career. He loved what he did. He loved the community, telling the stories of people, reporting on the news, and he was just passionate about what he did.

“When he was out of the news station, he was still talking about how much he wanted to succeed at his job, talking about how much he loved Orlando.”

Dylan Lyons had already received an award from the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists and been a finalist for another, his obituary records.

[23 February 2023 17:00 · AP]

Sheriff says it’s ‘unclear’ if suspects new victims were journalists

Orange County Sheriff John Mina said during a news conference on Wednesday that “the suspect is not saying much right now. It is unclear if he knew they were news media or not. We’re still trying to work all that out”.

Mina said the News 13 vehicle did not look like a typical news van with TV station markings.

Deputies had initially responded to the Pine Hills area, just northwest of Orlando, on Wednesday morning following reports of a woman in her 20s being shot.

Moses “was an acquaintance of the woman this morning, but as far as we know, had no connection to the reporters and no connection to the mother and the 9-year-old,” Mina said.

According to witnesses, a man approached the news vehicle later Wednesday and opened fire, hitting the two reporters. The man then walked to a nearby home and shot the mother and daughter.

WFTV crews, who were also reporting on the morning shooting, tried to give medical aid to the Spectrum 13 journalists.

[23 February 2023 17:12 · Gustaf Kilander]

Suspect pretended to be asleep during police interview, sheriff says

Sheriff John Mina said during a press conference on Thursday that the suspect Keith Melvin Moses pretended to be asleep during an interview with police.

He added that he was taken to hospital after saying that he was unable to breathe. There, he fought with medical staff and had to be restrained. He then also become physical with detectives and had to be restrained again, the sheriff said.

Sheriff Mina said it was a “random act of violence” and that the Sheriff’s office is still working to establish why the shooting take place.

[23 February 2023 17:30 · Gustaf Kilander]

Body camera footage to be released later on Thursday, sheriff says

Sheriff John Mina said during a press briefing that body camera footage showing the arrest of suspect Keith Melvin Moses, 19, will be released later on Thursday.

He said the suspect was acting erratically and that it appeared as if the suspect was under the influence of some kind of drug, but he emphasised that this hasn’t been confirmed.

[23 February 2023 18:00 · Gustaf Kilander]

Sheriff says suspect may have ‘kept shooting’ if gun hadn’t been empty

Sheriff John Mina said during a press briefing on Thursday that the suspect isn’t speaking to law enforcement and that the motive remains unclear.

He said the gun police found was empty. The Sheriff said he couldn’t be sure the suspect wouldn’t have “kept shooting” had he had the means to do so.

[23 February 2023 18:30 · Joe Sommerlad]

Everything we know about the Florida shooting that left journalist and nine-year-old girl dead

A 19-year-old gunman has been charged with first-degree murder in Orlando, Florida, after a shooting spree on Wednesday afternoon in which a TV journalist and a nine-year-old girl were killed following the earlier murder of a woman in the same location.

Tributes have since been paid to the reporter and a colleague who sustained critical injuries in the incident, as the city reels from another shocking explosion of gun violence.

Here is everything we know so far about the tragedy.

[23 February 2023 19:00 · Gustaf Kilander]

Videographer remains in hospital but is speaking to police, sheriff says

Sheriff John Mina said on Thursday that Spectrum News 13 photojournalist Jesse Walden is still in hospital after the shooting but that “he is talking to our detectives and providing information”.

The Sheriff said that at the same time as the 911 call came in reporting that the members of the media had been shot, “we received another 911 call about two more people shot on Harrington Street. The suspect had gone to a house on Harrington, he entered the home for unknown reasons and shot a mother and her nine-year-old daughter”.

“They were transported to the hospital, where unfortunately, tragically,” the child “died from her injuries”.

[23 February 2023 19:30 · Gustaf Kilander]

Suspect was ‘uncooperative but the deputies were able to secure him at the scene,’ sheriff says

Police received information quickly after the shooting regarding what the suspect was wearing, Sheriff John Mina said on Thursday.

“He was uncooperative but the deputies were able to secure him at the scene,” he told the press.

“We recovered a Glock 40” handgun, he added.

“We also have video evidence of him at the scene at the time of the shootings,” the sheriff noted.

[23 February 2023 20:00 · AP]

Sheriff outlines suspect’s criminal history and new charges

Orange County Sheriff John said suspect Keith Melvin Moses is already facing a murder charge for the initial victim, and charges are expected soon for the other four victims. Moses’ criminal history includes gun charges, as well as aggravated battery, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and grand theft offenses, the sheriff said.

“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,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Twitter.

“Please, please, say a prayer tonight for our co-worker who is in critical condition. And while you’re at it, please say a prayer for every victim of gun violence in this country,” Spectrum 13 journalist Celeste Springer said during her live on-air report Wednesday evening.