Sometimes, mass shootings are also first reported at 2 or 3AM ET. Like the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando that killed dozens in 2016. The shooting began after 2AM, and all the TV networks had special report preemptions for several hours on Sunday morning and afternoon.
Correct. The shooting happened just after 2 AM. Had there been a news reporter on location when it happened, it would have been reported.
But the police didn't actually report the story until almost 6AM.
By the time you hear a story on the radio, several hours usually pass. The story needs to be checked out, authenticated, written, then reported. The police may not have someone on duty who can authenticate the story at 3AM. A lot of times, you'll see cameras at a location. You can see the police cars in the distance. But there's nobody for reporters to talk to for a while. That's what happened with the Rob Reiner murder. It took a long time before anyone really knew what happened.