As ABC mourned broadcast legend Peter Jennings yesterday, Elizabeth Vargas – one of the stars in the running for his job – rushed off to Colorado after her husband was shot by a carjacker.
Singer-songwriter Marc Cohn miraculously suffered only minor injuries after he suddenly found himself in the middle of a dramatic crime story on a downtown Denver street.
It started when the gunman sped off from a local hotel after failing to pay his bill. His car stalled on light rail tracks, and fearing he’d be arrested for skipping out on the bill, ran from his vehicle, Denver cops told The Post.
As officers were chasing him, he spotted Cohn’s van stopped at a light. In it, beside Cohn, were several members of his band, who had just done a gig at the Botanical Gardens.
The gunman banged on the window and the driver tried to speed away.
But the gunman opened fire and Cohn was hit in the forehead with a bullet fragment.
He and the tour manager also were injured by the flying glass.
The gunman, identified as Joseph Yachteen, escaped.
“Marc was very shaken up. Eliza beth flew out as soon as she heard so that she could be with him,” said Cohn’s booking agent, Jordan Burger.
The shooting was first reported by “The Insider.”
Vargas married Cohn in July 2002 after she met the rocker at the 1999 U.S. Open tennis tournament while on assignment for ABC.
Cohn – famous for his “Walking in Memphis” classic – was there visiting his pal Andre Agassi.
Vargas joined ABC in 1996 and has quickly become of the network’s stars.
The sexy brunette anchors the “World News Tonight” Saturday edition, and is co-anchor, with John Stossel, of ABC’s Friday-night news magazine “20/20.”
Along with Charles Gibson, 62, she has regularly filled in for Jennings both before and after he announced he was ailing with cancer in April.
ABC News executives insist they have not yet discussed who will succeed Jennings as anchor of “World News Tonight.”
“Out of respect for Jennings’ family, there has been no discussion of that,” said a network spokesman yesterday. “There will be a time for that discussion. This is not the time.”
But speculation has long centered on Gibson and Vargas.
ABC also said it’s made no decision on when to remove Jennings’ name from the title of the network’s flagship newscast, which is still called, “World News Tonight with Peter Jennings.”
“I can’t say exactly how long that title will continue. We obviously want to do everything we can to respect Peter and his gigantic contribution to ABC News,” said the spokesman.
ABC News president David Westin called a meeting of all ABC News staffers yesterday.
New York-based employees attended in person. Others joined the meeting via satellite.
According to a source, Westin spoke movingly about Jennings’ legacy.
A moment of silence was observed, followed by a round of long, sustained applause in Jennings’ memory.
There likely will be a private memorial service for Jennings this week and a public one next month, ABC said.