KCEN News Staff Shaken by Meteorologist’s Shooting: ‘I Knew It Was Our Patrick’

By Mark Joyella 

CaptureMeteorologist Patrick Crawford of Temple, Texas NBC affiliate KCEN is reportedly stable and resting after surgery at Baylor Scott and White Hospital. Crawford was shot while sitting in his car (pictured) outside the KCEN studios Wednesday in an incident that has yet to be explained, and no arrests have been made. “We didn’t think it was gunshots,” said KCEN executive assistant Charlotte Kinsey. But moments later, a sheriff’s deputy who’d arrived at the station to investigate asked if there was a “Patrick” who worked there:

“It just, it was like a flash,” Kinsey said. “It just happened so suddenly, and I knew who it was. I knew it was our Patrick.”

“My heart just fell to the bottom of my chest,” said Crystal Pratt, our 5 p.m. newscast producer. “I didn’t even know what to think.”

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“When I heard them say Patrick’s name,” she said, “my heart completely broke. I didn’t know what to do. I was just numb.”

“You could feel the air suck right out of the room,” said assistant news director Matt Gebhard.


crawford KCEN croppedKCEN has aggressively covered the story, which impacts not only Crawford, but also his wife, Heather, who also works at the station. KCEN has branded its coverage “Our Superman,” in reference to the guy they describe as “one of the sweetest people.”

“I know he’s going to pull through this,” said Pratt. “He has a lot of people here praying for him, a lot of people out in the community that’s praying for him.”

Even as we try to keep our minds on our jobs to tell the story that needs to be told.

“I don’t think anything will ever be the same here at the station,” Pratt said.

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