Fox News Cameraman Killed in Attack That Wounded Benjamin Hall
Pierre Zakrzewski/Fox News
Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski was killed outside Kyiv in Ukraine, the network said Tuesday, in the same attack that wounded Benjamin Hall.
Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott announced the tragic news in a note to colleagues. She said Zakrzewski, 55, and Hall were reporting in the village of Horenka when “their vehicle was struck by incoming fire.”
Ukrainian officials said Oleksandra Kuvshynova, a producer working with the Fox News team, was also killed in the attack.
Read Scott’s note below, which includes comments from Fox News president Jay Wallace.
Dear colleagues,
It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we share the news this morning regarding our beloved cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski. Pierre was killed in Horenka, outside of Kyiv, Ukraine. Pierre was with Benjamin Hall yesterday newsgathering when their vehicle was struck by incoming fire.
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. Based in London, Pierre had been working in Ukraine since February. His talents were vast and there wasn’t a role that he didn’t jump in to help with in the field – from photographer to engineer to editor to producer – and he did it all under immense pressure among journalists at every media outlet. He was wildly popular – everyone in the media industry who has covered a foreign story knew and respected Pierre.
Last year, he played a key role in getting our Afghan freelance associates and their families out of the country after the U.S. withdrawal. In December at our annual employee Spotlight Awards, Pierre was given the “Unsung Hero” award in recognition of his invaluable work.
Jay Wallace said it best this morning – “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 a camera in hand. The legacy of his positive spirit, bondless energy and eye for the story will carry on.”
We extend our deepest condolences to Pierre’s wife Michelle and family – please keep them in all your prayers. And please continue to pray for Benjamin Hall, who remains hospitalized in Ukraine. We will continue to be in touch with any further updates as needed.
Today is a heartbreaking day for FOX News Media and for all journalists risking their lives to deliver the news. I leave you with pictures of Pierre in the field doing what he loved.
With heartfelt sympathy,
Suzanne
Scott’s note was followed by a report on the network, delivered by Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer.
“We’ve got some very difficult news to share with you now,” Hemmer said. “Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski has died in Ukraine.”
Hemmer aired photos of Zakrzewski taken in Kyiv shortly before his death.
“Pierre Zakrzewski was an absolute legend at this network, and his loss is devastating,” Hemmer said. “He has been with us for years, covering wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.”
Benjamin Hall and Pierre Zakrzewski
“He was a professional, he was a journalist, and he was a friend,” Hemmer continued. “We here at the Fox News Channel want to offer our deepest condolences to Pierre’s wife, Michelle, and his entire family. Pierre Zakrzewski was only 55 years old, and we miss him already.”
Fox News reported on Monday that Hall, the network’s State Department correspondent who has been reporting from Ukraine alongside several other correspondents at the network, had been wounded and hospitalized. There has been little information on Hall’s circumstances.
“Earlier today our correspondent Benjamin Hall was injured while news gathering outside of Kyiv in Ukraine,” Suzanne Scott said in a statement Monday. “We have a minimal level of details right now. But Ben is hospitalized and our teams on the ground are working to gather additional information as the situation quickly unfolds.”
Fox News journalists and other media figures sent their thoughts and prayers to Hall.
Hall was reporting from Ukraine with several other Fox correspondents, including Trey Yingst and Steve Harrigan. Harrigan just returned to the United States.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
