Crew member fatally shot during Cops filming

A crew member on Cops has been fatally shot while filming the long-running US reality show.

Bryce Dion, a sound supervisor, was working on an episode of the show tracking law enforcement officers in Omaha, Nebraska.

The police officers and crew attended a suspected armed robbery in a Wendy’s fast food store and Dion was hit by a bullet from an officer as he returned fire when the suspect fired his weapon. Dion, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, subsequently died in hospital.

Cops has been running on US TV since 1989 and ran on Fox until 2013 when the broadcast net cancelled the show. It was subsequently picked up by Viacom-owned cable net Spike, which started showing its second, and the series overall’s 27^th, season of the show in July.

The reality show is made by Langley Productions, John Langley’s US reality producer, which also counts Las Vegas Jailhouse and Street Patrol among its credits.

The US company said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened and shocked by this tragedy and our main concern is helping his family in any way we can. Bryce Dion was a long term member of the Cops team and very talented and dedicated person. We mourn his passing. An investigation is ongoing and we are cooperating with local authorities.”