Dan Walker has sparked controversy with a social media post about the deaths of former BBC colleague and 5 Live commentator John Hunt's wife and daughters.

On Tuesday, Hunt's wife Carol, 61, and two of his daughters Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25, were found fatally injured at a house in Ashlyn Close, Bushey, Hertfordshire following a crossbow attack.

A manhunt was soon launched by police for 26-year-old suspect Kyle Clifford who was found and transported to hospital on Wednesday evening to be treated for injuries.

Police believe the attack was targeted and carried out with a crossbow and possibly other weapons with Hertfordshire Police set to provide a further update on Thursday morning.

Several of Hunt's friends and colleagues have issued messages of support to the 58-year-old, including Zoe Ball pausing her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show on Thursday and 5 Live's Mark Chapman struggling through tears on Wednesday night.

Former BBC presenter Walker followed suit on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday night, penning in view of his 799.5k followers: "Just read through the news about John Hunt and his family.

"Absolutely devastating," he added before signing off: "Great commentator and an even better man. What a terrible tragedy."

Walker also shared a clip of Chapman's 5 Live tribute from Wednesday night as he applauded his former colleague for his kind words.

"The football was amazing last night and we are so blessed to have brilliant commentators in the UK," Walker wrote alongside the clip.

"John Hunt is one of the best and his world was ripped apart yesterday when his wife and daughters were murdered.

Just read through the news about John Hunt and his family.
Absolutely devastating.

Great commentator and an even better man. What a terrible tragedy.

— Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) July 10, 2024

"Mark Chapman knows himself how brutal life can be at times. Give yourself a moment to listen to how he introduced the football after the news about his colleague and friend had just been reported in the bulletin before he started."

Many of Walker's followers were quick to echo the sentiment expressed by the Channel 5 star as they too shared their condolences, but some were dismayed at the omission of the victims' names from the post.

In response to Walker's first post, one fan urged: "I think you are a decent man. That's why it matters how you phrase your response to such terrible events. I know you are sad for someone you know but THINK about the fact you only mention his name in your tweet and not the murdered women, Carol, Hannah and Louise."

A second similarly hit out: "The news is about Carol, Louise and Hannah Hunt... Who happened to be related to John."

"Dan please call out the crime here and honour John’s wife and daughter’s, not his career," added a third before a fourth slammed: "#Saytheirnames."

Elsewhere, a fifth raged: "'Great commentator' - anything to say about the women that were murdered? Your tweet needs more consideration."

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And a sixth similarly took issue with the phrasing: "The way you have phrased this....it's about the women, not who they are related to." (sic)

GB News has contacted Walker's representatives for comment regarding the backlash.

On Thursday morning, Walker returned to the social media site to include Carol, Hannah and Louise's names in the X threads.

"John’s wife was called Carol and his daughters were Hannah and Louise," Walker added on Thursday morning, followed by a heartbroken emoji.