Three killed in Orange County, Florida, shootings; Spectrum News 13 crew among those shot
A woman was killed in the morning and two journalists covering that killing were shot hours later, the sheriff said; a 19-year-old is in custody and the motive is undetermined.
3 reports on this incident · first at Aug 12, 2026, 4:19 a.m. ET
Earlier reports
Aug 12, 2026, 4:23 a.m. ET
Sheriff describes three killed in Orange County, Florida, shootings; identities not released
Three people were killed in shootings in Orange County, Florida, on February 22, 2023, authorities said, according to CNN.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina spoke about the victims in public remarks. "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," the sheriff said. The identities of those killed have not been released in the material on the record here.
The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, also addressed the shootings. "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," the press secretary said.
A first shooting was reported at around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, February 22, when a woman was killed inside a vehicle on Hialeah Street in Orange County, CNN reported. At around 4 p.m., two Spectrum News 13 journalists who were at the scene covering that killing, in a neighborhood just west of Orlando, were shot while investigators were following leads in the earlier case, Sheriff Mina said. The journalists' vehicle "was almost exactly in the same spot as the vehicle was from the homicide this morning," the sheriff said, adding: "It's unclear why exactly they were targeted."
A motive has not been determined. "We're still not sure what his motive was. Why he did this," Sheriff Mina said. "But we want to find out because I know the community wants to know." Of one location involved, the sheriff said, "We don't know why he entered that home," and said investigators were "still trying to track down how he obtained the firearm."
The Orange County Sheriff's Office responded to the shootings. Sheriff Mina identified the person in custody as Keith Melvin Moses, 19. The incident is no longer active.
Aug 12, 2026, 4:19 a.m. ETFirst report
Three killed in shootings in Orange County, Florida; motive undetermined
Three people were killed in shootings on Wednesday, 22 February 2023, in a neighborhood just west of Orlando in Orange County, Florida, according to authorities cited by CNN. The investigation is developing and the cause and motive have not been determined.
The first shooting was reported around 11 a.m., when a woman was killed inside a vehicle on Hialeah Street, according to CNN's account. Around 4 p.m., while investigators were following leads in that shooting, two Spectrum News 13 journalists who were at the scene covering the killing were shot, said Orange County Sheriff John Mina, who leads the agency investigating both shootings. Of the vehicle involved in the later shooting, Sheriff Mina said: "That vehicle was almost exactly in the same spot as the vehicle was from the homicide this morning." He added: "It's unclear why exactly they were targeted."
At the White House, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who speaks for the Biden administration, 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."
Sheriff Mina said: "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." Officials have not released the identities of those killed or injured in the material available.
On motive, Sheriff Mina said: "We're still not sure what his motive was. Why he did this. But we want to find out because I know the community wants to know." He also said of a home entered during the events, "We don't know why he entered that home," and that investigators were "still trying to track down how he obtained the firearm." A suspect, identified by Sheriff Mina as Keith Melvin Moses, 19, is in custody. The Orange County Sheriff's Office is the responding agency. The sheriff's office has not stated a cause or motive, and the response is no longer active.
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