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Liam O'Dell
May 26, 2022
Man appears to point gun at TV news crew during live report
FOX
A Chicago news team were faced with shocking incident on Wednesday morning, when a passer-by was filmed appearing to wave a firearm at the crew during a live news report.
In footage captured during the FOX 32 broadcast on gun violence, a young male is seen pointing the suspected weapon at the camera before walking down the street.
Reporter Natalie Bomke said of the incident: “Around 7am, at the corner of Clark and Hubbard, while our reporter was in the middle of live report about gun violence in Chicago, a man walked up and pointed what appeared to be a firearm at our crew.
“Right now, police are calling this man a person of interest, accused of aggravated assault with a firearm.
“Our reporter and photographer were not injured and they want to say thank you to the viewers who were watching Good Day Chicago and called or emailed to make sure our crew was okay.”
The scenes follow – and will no doubt contribute towards - an ongoing conversation around gun control after the horrific killing of 19 school children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday.
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Twitter users have been left appalled by the man’s actions:
\u201c@fox32news @JoanieLum I\u2019m so glad you and your crew are ok. Horrifying.\u201d— FOX 32 News (@FOX 32 News) 1653518406
\u201c@fox32news Ah yes, nothing to see here, just a normal day in the city. \nThanks @chicagosmayor and @SAKimFoxx \nShould we perhaps invest in body armor for the summer to replace masks?\u201d— FOX 32 News (@FOX 32 News) 1653518406
\u201c@fox32news It's almost like they're not afraid of any consequences for this behavior.\u201d— FOX 32 News (@FOX 32 News) 1653518406
\u201cOmg this horrible\ud83d\ude31 @JoanieLum is a treasure to work with and we are so glad you are safe !!!\u201d— Regina Gonzalez (@Regina Gonzalez) 1653570277
\u201cI'm reading comments this morning...and I'm annoyed... Whether or not it was a gun... it's unacceptable. Reporters go through so much harassment out in the field... sad to see how people think it's 'funny'\u201d— Diana Guti\u00e9rrez (@Diana Guti\u00e9rrez) 1653558796
In a tweet following her ordeal, journalist Joanie Lum wrote: “After an eventful day the question was cake or beer? I chose cake. Was I wrong?”
Absolutely not, Ms Lum, and more power to you.
People with information about the person of interest are encouraged to contact Chicago Police.
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