A.J. Lagoe was watching a baseball game at home last August when he got a call from a source in Louisa County, telling him he'd better get out there fast.
An investigative reporter and noon anchor at WRIC Channel 8, Lagoe raced out to the rural county he'd covered as a beat reporter. Two men had been slain, and the gunman was killed by police; more people — all from the same family — had been injured in a property dispute turned deadly.
The story has snared Channel 8 the Sigma Delta Chi Award for breaking news coverage by a small-market station, a national prize from the Society of Professional Journalists. Given how many TV stations could qualify, Lagoe says the win "really was a big deal." The award will be presented in New Orleans this September.
Lagoe and his colleagues — video journalist Katelyn Sherwood and photojournalists Paul Nevadomski and Ben Arnold — had unusual access to the family, who called Lagoe at 11 one night to tell him they were willing to talk.
Like all good newshounds, Lagoe and Sherwood hit the road to Louisa.
(For the record: Richmond magazine shares content with WRIC on its Sunday program Good Morning Richmond.)
We'll be right back …
The full-length media column will return in the September issue. Stay tuned!
