Incident Details
- Date of Incident
- November 20, 2023
- Targets
- Brian Ledford (KTVI)
- Assailant
- Private individual
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
KTVI photojournalist Brian Ledford, left, and reporter Andy Banker were shot at with pellet guns by multiple individuals in a car while reporting in St. Louis, Missouri, on Nov. 20, 2023. One of the suspects in the shooting has since been arrested.
KTVI-TV photojournalist Brian Ledford and reporter Andy Banker were shot at with pellet gun munitions while reporting in St. Louis, Missouri, on Nov. 20, 2023. Ledford was not hit, and Banker was not seriously injured. A suspect has since been arrested on charges of assault.
Banker reported for KTVI that he was standing on a residential street in South St. Louis at around 12:45 p.m., using his phone to send an email, when a car drove past.
“Photographer Brian Ledford and I first heard the rapid fire, then saw what appeared to be gel-blaster-style guns made for airsoft games,” he said. “There were male teens firing pellets directly at us from the front and rear passenger seats.”
In a social media post, Banker called the incident “extremely unnerving,” stating that the pellets struck him in the head and torso.
Neither Banker nor Ledford responded to requests for comment.
KTVI reported on Nov. 21 that St. Louis Metropolitan Police arrested the alleged driver, a juvenile, and are still searching for the two passengers who are suspected of firing the gel-blaster guns.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
