Crime

WAVE reporter Jaimie Weiss and photographer James Thomas were covering a homicide in Louisville yesterday when another fatal shooting occurred just outside their live truck.

Three people died and three were wounded in the incident. As the shooting continued, Thomas shot video from just outside the live truck while Weiss called into the newsroom and reported on the events unfolding.

“They’re shooting out here. They’re shooting right where we are,” she said. “Everybody’s on the ground. It’s not safe for us to get out.” Watch inside… Read more

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A video camera and tripod were stolen from a KNTV reporter and photographer in broad daylight yesterday afternoon, the Oakland Tribune reports.

Reporter Jodi Hernandez and photographer Rich Goudeau were reporting a story on state budget cuts for the San Francisco NBC O&O when a man ran up to the pair, grabbed the equipment, and ran away.

All of the interviews and footage Hernandez and Godeau had collected were gone with the stolen camera. With less than two hours before the evening newscast, KNTV sent a replacement photographer to shoot replacement interviews. The segment aired on the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts yesterday. Watch inside… Read more

Baltimore Fox-affiliate WBFF is reportedly trying to revive its regular “Fugitive Files” segment in the wake of a controversy involving a high-profile suspect’s on-camera apology.

In April, WBFF drew the ire of the Baltimore Police Department after it taped an interview with a man wanted for a brutal St. Patrick’s Day assault and failed to notify the authorities about it.  The man turned himself in following the interview, but police felt that the station’s failure to tell them about it was a breach of trust.

Now, according to the Baltimore Sun, WBFF is trying to get back in the good graces of the department in an effort to revive “Fugitive Files,” which it has been airing since 2007. Read more

Fox News Channel’s Bill O’Reilly is taking on WAVY, the NBC-affiliate in Norfolk.

At issue is the local coverage of an attack on Dave Forster and Marjon Rostami, two reporters at the Virginian-Pilot. The pair were attacked by a mob on April 14 while they were on their way home from a movie.

“The O’Reilly Factor” has been covering the attack for several weeks, saying it “may be racially motivated.” Police in Norfolk have disputed the claim. On Tuesday night, WAVY reported on O’Reilly’s coverage of the attack, saying the Fox News host is “shining a negative spotlight on the city.” Read more

FishbowlLA reports that the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center is outraged over KCBS-KCAL’s decision to post the names, birthdates, and mugshots of eighteen men who were arrested in an undercover sting operation at a Manhattan Beach restroom.

This week KCBS and KCAL reported on the arrests, which were based on a range of offenses, including engaging in lewd conduct in a public place and  indecent exposure, and aired the Manhattan Beach Police Department’s collection of mugshots and personal information of the men arrested.  The images, names, and birthdates were then posted on the stations’ website. Read more

There is a new newscast being considered in Memphis, according to NBC-affiliate WMC.

The Memphis Police Department is looking at broadcasting a daily newscast, similar to one launched in Baltimore earlier this month.

“If in fact the citizens who are concerned about crime that’s on the rise or occurred in their neighborhood, they can tune in to that channel,” Memphis Police Association president Michael Williams told WMC reporter Jamel Major.

Watch Major’s report on the proposed newscast inside… Read more

As reporters continue to crowd the sidewalks of Sanford, FL, covering the Trayvon Martin case, the city is warning members of the media that they could be arrested.

The City of Sanford issued a press release on Wednesday requesting that “members of the media refrain from approaching, phoning or emailing city employees when they are in their roles as private citizens.”

“It has come to light that there have been a few incidents where city staff were followed and approached at their home or in settings outside of working hours,” the press release states.  “Law enforcement officials will not hesitate to make an arrest for stalking.”

WREG reporter April Thompson was working on a story about a recent murder in a small Arkansas town when a man pulled a gun on her.

“We do what we always do in these cases, we go out to find the details,” Thompson told viewers on Wednesday, “but what we found was an angry man with a gun.”  Video inside… Read more

WOFL reporter Patrick Pegues has been dropped from the station’s news team after he was arrested and charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm on Monday night.

“Pegues is no longer employed with Fox35,” reads a brief statement on the website for the Fox O&O in Orlando.

Witnesses report seeing Pegues firing a gun while walking a dog on East Michigan Street in Orlando on Monday night. The Orlando Sentinel reports a 9mm semi-automatic gun was later taken from Pegues, who said he had a concealed weapons permit and had been protecting himself.

No injuries were reported, although there was damage to a car in the area where the gunshot was heard. Read more

Police in Des Moines arrested a suspect yesterday in the murder of 19-year old Jayme Thomas after a “Washington’s Most Wanted” viewer came forward with additional information.

“Washington’s Most Wanted” is hosted by David Rose (pictured), an anchor at KCPQ in Seattle, and airs on six stations in Washington and Oregon. The show has featured the unsolved murder of Thomas, who was shot in the back of the head on November 5, for the past several weeks.

After seeing one of the reports, a viewer recognized one of his co-workers, identified as a “person of interest” in the case. The viewer convinced the co-worker to contact police, and police say his or her cooperation — including providing additional information on other witnesses — led to the arrest. Read more