Fox News cameraman killed after vehicle attacked outside Kyiv
'Pierre Zakrzewski was an absolute legend at this network and his loss is devastating.'
Tributes have poured in for a ‘brave and selfless’ Fox news cameraman who was killed while reporting on the war in Ukraine.
Pierre Zakrzewski was working with correspondent Benjamin Hall when their car was hit outside of capital city Kyiv, according to a statement read out by the news channel on air.
Presenter Bill Hemmer said: ‘Pierre Zakrzewski was an absolute legend at this network and his loss is devastating.
‘He has been with us for years, covering wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.
‘Our CEO Susanne Scott noted a few moments ago that Pierre jumped in to help out with all sorts of roles in the field – photographer and engineer and editor and producer and he did it all under immense pressure and with tremendous skill.’
Mr Hall, a British father-of-three, was wounded in the attack and remains in hospital.
Colleagues have paid emotional tributes to Zakrzewski.
Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst shared a picture of himself with the war photographer and said he ‘was as good as they come’.
He added: ‘Selfless. Brave. Passionate. I’m so sorry this happened to you.’
Fox News co-anchor John Roberts said Zakrzewski was ‘just the best’ as he shared a picture of him on Twitter.
‘I worked with Pierre many times around the world. He was an absolute treasure. Sending our most heartfelt prayers to Pierre’s wife and family,’ he tweeted.
Fox News President and Executive Editor Jay Wallace said: ‘Pierre was a constant in all of our international coverage. I, like countless others, always felt an extra sense of reassurance when arriving on the scene and seeing him with camera in hand.
‘The legacy of his positive spirit, boundless energy and eye for the story will carry on.’
Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott said: ‘Pierre was a war zone photographer who covered nearly every international story for Fox News from Iraq to Afghanistan to Syria during his long tenure with us.
‘His passion and talent as a journalist were unmatched.’
Zakrzewski was the second journalist killed in Ukraine in two days.
Brent Renaud, an award-winning US journalist and filmmaker, died in northern Ukraine after he was fatally shot in the neck by Russian forces in Irpin, near Kyiv, on Sunday.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, paid tribute to the former New York Times freelancer, in a letter addressed to Mr Renaud’s family.
He said: ‘I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family of Brent Renaud who lost his life while documenting the ruthlessness & evil inflicted upon [Ukrainian] people by Russia.’
Last night, Fox confirmed foreign affairs correspondent Mr Hall was injured but did not comment on the severity
Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Irina Venediktova, said that a British journalist was in ‘intensive care under the supervision of doctors’.
Fox said: ‘This is a stark reminder for all journalists who are putting their lives on the line every day to deliver the news from a war zone.’
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