Speak of the devil: US man pulls a gun during live report on arms violence

The Chicago Police Department is on the hunt for a man who pointed a gun at a news camera when a journalist was reporting live on a segment about gun violence. 

Joanie Lum, a reporter for Fox 32, was in the middle of the segment around 7 am on Wednesday when a man walked behind her and pulled out what appeared to be a pistol. He then pointed the weapon at the camera lens, according to Fox News. 

The unidentified man remained in the frame until he strolled down the street with the firearm in his hand. He was seen wearing a black hoodie and jacket, light blue jeans and dark sneakers. 

After the incident, the channel went on-air with anchor Natalie Bomke for a follow-up segment to clarify that Lum and the cameraperson were not hurt by the man. Bomke then thanked viewers who reached out to Fox 32 to seek an update on the news crew. 

“The gun was one foot from her head as he pointed at the camera or cameraman Gary,” Fox 32 reporter Anita Padilla said in a tweet.

“She is understandably shaken. Thank God she is okay,” Padilla added. 

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However, due to the poor quality of the footage, internet users speculated that the object could have been a remote control or another household item. 

Lum was delivering a report on the recent rise of gun crimes in Chicago, a city where firearm violence has surged by 66% from 2019 to 2021.

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The incident comes after one person was killed and about 23 others were wounded in shootings that took place across Chicago last week. It also comes just a day after an 18-year-old opened fire in a classroom full of kids and teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.