A nine-year-old girl and a local journalist were among the two people who were shot and killed after an earlier homicide in Orlando, Florida.

A 20-year-old woman had been shot dead earlier on Wednesday, leading to a crew from a local news channel reaching the spot at the Pine Hills area to cover the incident on the same day.

The suspected gunman had opened fire on the crew of local news channel Spectrum News 13 at 4pm, leading to the death of one of the television journalists, with a photographer sustaining critical injuries.

The alleged gunman then went into a nearby home and opened fire on a mother and daughter, killing the latter. The nine-year-old’s mother sustained injuries from the shooting.

“I want to acknowledge what a horrible day this has been for our community and our media partners,” Orange County Sheriff John Mina said during a press conference.

A 19-year-old suspect has been taken into custody, police said. A handgun believed to have been used in the attack has been recovered near the scene.

Key Points

• TV journalist and girl, 9, shot dead at the scene of the previous homicide crime scene in Florida

• 19-year-old suspect taken into custody

• Timeline of Orlando shootings

• TV channel says ‘terrible tragedy for Orlando community’

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre expresses condolences over Orlando shooting

06:27 , Maroosha Muzaffar

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has tweeted her condolences to the families of the victims of the Orlando shootings.

The alleged gunman had opened fire on the crew of the news channel Spectrum News 13killing a local journalist and a photographer who was employed by the organization.

“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 13 team,” he tweeted.

Earlier yesterday, deputies found a woman in her 20s shot in a vehicle around 11.17am on Hialeah Street in Orlando. She was pronounced dead on scene.

Officials said the alleged gunman and the woman were acquaintances.

The suspect, identified by police as Keith Melvin Moses, 19, was in custody by the end of the day.

Among the other victims of the shooting were a nine-year-old girl and her mother. The latter has survived and sustained injuries, but the nine-year-old has died from injuries.

Timeline of Orlando shootings

06:23 , Maroosha Muzaffar

A woman in her 20s was shot and killed on Hialeah Drive in Pine Hills around 11am on Wednesday.

“Our homicide detectives responded to that scene, conducted follow-up, collected evidence, and developed good leads on a suspect, in that case, this morning,” said Orange County deputies.

Around 4.05pm in the evening on the same day, deputies again received calls reporting two shootings on Hialeah Drive and on nearby Harrington Street.

The sheriff’s office said that on Hialeah Drive, two Spectrum News 13 journalists – a reporter and a photographer – were shot. Both were in the area covering the shooting of the 20-year-old woman.

The reporter dies, while the photographer is in critical condition.

On Harrington Street, a nine-year-old girl and her mother were shot inside their home by the gunman. The nine-year-old lost her life while her mother was taken to the hospital and remains in critical condition.

Orlando shooting suspect has a ‘long’ criminal history, Sheriff says

05:38 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Keith Melvin Moses, a 19-year-old identified as a suspect in the Orlando shooting that killed three, including a nine-year-old, has a “long” criminal history, according to Orange County Sheriff John Mina.

The sheriff listed out the charges against Mr Moses, including gun charges, aggravated battery, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and grand theft charges. [the suspect] knew if they were news media or not,” Mr. Mina said.

“We’re still trying to work all of that out. That vehicle was almost exactly in the same spot as the vehicle from the homicide this morning. So it’s unclear why exactly they were targeted.”

“I want to acknowledge what a horrible day this has been for our community and our media partners,” said Mr. Mina.

“I work closely with all of you… no one in our community — not a mother, not a 9-year-old, certainly not a news professional — should become a victim of gun violence.”

The alleged gunman knew the homicide victim from earlier in the day, according to media reports.

It’s unclear why the other victims were shot at.

Florida Sheriffs Association issues statement on shooting

05:18 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The Florida Sheriffs Association has issued a statement over the Orlando shooting that led to five people being shot at the scene of an earlier homicide, leading to three deaths, including one of a local journalist.

“This is a tragic and sad day, especially for those in the Orange County community,” the association tweeted.

“It’s hard to put all of this into words right now, but we ask for your prayers for the impacted families and for those who are injured fighting for their lives.”

TV channel says ‘terrible tragedy for Orlando community’

04:53 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The death of a journalist who was among the three people shot dead in the scene of an earlier homicide in Orlando was mourned by the news channel.

Charter Communications, the parent company of Spectrum News 13, shared a statement on Twitter. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleagues and the lives of other people senselessly taken today,” he said.

The statement also voiced concern for a photographer employed by the news channel who was in a critical condition after the shooting.

“Our thoughts were 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.”

19-year-old suspect taken into custody

04:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Orange County sheriff John Mina said during a news conference yesterday evening that they’ve arrested Keith Melvin Moses, 19, who they believe is responsible for both shootings in the Orlando-area neighborhood.

One TV journalist and a 9-year-old girl were fatally shot by the gunman around 4pm yesterday. A TV crew member and the girl’s mother were wounded during the second shooting. They were in critical condition at a local hospital.

“I want to acknowledge what a horrible day this has been for our community and our media partners,” Mr. Mina told a room full of reporters. “I work closely with all of you and know many of you and know the very difficult job that you do and also the very important job that you do for our community and for law enforcement. No one in our community — not a mother, not a 9-year-old and certainly not a news professional — should become the victim of gun violence in our community.”

Mr. Mina said they don’t immediately have a motive for any of the shootings.

TV journalist and girl, 9, shot dead at the scene of the previous homicide crime scene in Florida

04:08 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Four people were shot, two of them fatally, in a homicide crime scene outside of Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday, according to police.

The victims included a nine-year-old girl and an Orlando-based TV journalist who was producing a story about a woman who was found shot dead at the location in Pine Hills earlier in the day.

Read the full story by Josh Marcus here:

TV journalist and 9-year-old shot dead at the previous homicide crime scene in Florida

03:32 , Maroosha Muzaffar

welcome to The Independent’s liveblog on the Orlando shooting where we bring you the latest on the mass shooting