In Florida, three people were shot dead Wednesday in Orange County, including a 9-year-old girl and a journalist. The violence began when a gunman opened fire on a 20-year-old woman, killing her. Hours later, the suspect returned to the scene and fired on journalists covering the initial shooting, killing 24-year-old Spectrum News reporter Dylan Lyons and critically wounding photojournalist Jesse Walden. The 9-year-old was shot dead inside a home where her mother was also found in critical condition. Police arrested a suspect with a lengthy criminal history that includes weapons charges. Weekend news anchor Luana Munoz of Orlando NBC affiliate WESH covered the scene.
Luana Munoz: “This is every reporter’s absolutely worst nightmare. We go home at night afraid that something like this will occur. And that is what happened here. So, again, we are at Orlando Regional Medical Center, where we have learned that one of our own, a fellow reporter, has died while out covering a shooting.”
The Orlando shootings came as four family members were found shot to death in Daphne, Alabama. They were the 83rd and 84th mass shootings recorded in the United States since January 1.