W.Va. reporter heard backfiring truck, not gunfire

BECKLEY, W.Va. (AP) — Police say a West Virginia reporter who ducked for cover after she heard gunfire at the scene of a killing actually heard an aging pickup truck backfire.

Beckley police detective Morgan Bragg said Friday the driver of the truck was passing by the crime scene on Monday when his vehicle backfired, as he said it is prone to do.

WVVA-TV says reporter Annie Moore was recording video when she believed someone in a passing vehicle fired a shot at her. She took cover behind a station vehicle.

Moore wasn’t alone. Bragg tells media outlets officers on the scene of the slaying initially mistook the sound of the backfiring truck for a gunshot.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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