ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A 24-year-old Orlando journalist shot and killed Wednesday while covering a homicide in a Central Florida neighborhood is being remembered as a “talented,” “electric” colleague with “a big personality.”
Journalist Dylan Lyons was one of five people shot Wednesday in the attack that also killed 9-year-old T’yonna Major and left her mother and Spectrum News 13 photojournalist Jesse Walden critically injured.
A woman, later identified as 38-year-old Nathacha Augustin, had been shot dead earlier in the day. Her homicide is why Lyons and Walden were in the area to cover the story. (For details on what happened Wednesday, scroll down.)
The 9-year-old girl’s mother has not been identified by authorities.
Orange County education officials confirmed that T’yonna was a third-grader at Pine Hills Elementary School. They said grief counselors are available for any student or staff who needs to speak with someone.
Orange County Superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez released a statement:
“Words cannot express the disbelief and anger I feel about the senseless violence yesterday that led to three deaths, including one of our precious students. My deepest sympathies and prayers go out to their families and friends. These tragedies have become all too common and it needs to stop. We must work together as a community to end these horrible tragedies.”
The Pine Hills Elementary principal sent a message to families about the tragedy, calling T’yonna “a kind and beautiful young girl with an affectionate smile” and said she will be missed dearly.
She said school officials are hopeful T’yonna’s mother makes a full recovery.
Mourning a colleague
Lyons was a UCF graduate who loved his girlfriend and his family, the news station said. A GoFundMe has been set up to help Lyons’ family with funeral expenses.
OBITUARY: Remembering Spectrum News 13 reporter Dylan Lyons
A memorial for Lyons at UCF was growing Thursday. The young journalist was a big part of the community there, studying communications and anchoring for the UCF Knightly News.
His former professor Rick Brunson remembered him as a go-getter.
“Just to see all that cut off in a heinous crime like that,” Brunson said. “You feel rage, anger, sadness. You feel it all.”
Lyons had interned at several Orlando stations, including News4JAX sister station WKMG.
“Dylan wanted so badly to be a broadcast journalist,” WKMG Reporter Erik Sandoval shared in an online post. “He was excited for his future, and we were excited for him. When I saw him last year at an awards ceremony (where he won), I gave him a huge hug. Dylan was talented. Dylan was electric. Dylan had a future.”
Lyons also interned at WFTV-TV and WMFE-FM.
Before joining Spectrum News 13 in July 2022, Lyons worked for WCJB TV20 in Gainesville.
“He had a big personality and was never afraid to ask the tough questions,” WCJB TV20 News Director Jon Levy said in a statement. “Dylan was also deeply involved in TV20′s charitable and community outreach efforts during his time in North Central Florida. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and the Spectrum News 13 team.”
He had also earned the respect of his Spectrum News 13 colleagues.
“Dylan was truly the most dedicated professional, and happiest spirit,” Spectrum News 13 Anchor Greg Angel said. “Always upbeat, truly. Eager to learn; eager to connect and build relationships.”
Walden posted Thursday about the loss of “one of my best friends” as he continued recovering from the shooting himself. He thanked everyone for their well wishes.
A reporter who visited Walden in the hospital said he’s recovering and is in good spirits considering the circumstances.
“Much to live for”
Lyons earned a Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists “Best Politics/Elections Series” award and in 2021, he was a finalist for Investigative Reporting, the association said.
The Board of Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists released a statement Thursday about the shooting of Lyons and Walden. It read, in part:
Words alone cannot describe our overwhelming sadness following the loss of Spectrum 13 journalist Dylan Lyons, a (38)-year-old woman, and 9-year-old girl in Orlando.
We are heartbroken to see another senseless act of gun violence claim more members of our community -- including our fellow colleague who was dedicated to making a difference.
Our thoughts are with the families and the entire Spectrum News 13 newsroom affected by this tragedy, including photojournalist Jesse Walden who was injured in the shooting. We will continue to offer support during this difficult time.
Dylan had much to give and much to live for.
The attack on our colleagues weighs heavily on our hearts. We are reminded of the fragility of life and again offer our deepest condolences to our colleagues and all of the families involved.
Spectrum News released the following statement Wednesday night:
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and the other lives senselessly taken today. Our thoughts are with our employee’s family, friends and co-workers during this very difficult time. We remain hopeful that our other colleague who was injured makes a full recovery.
This is a terrible tragedy for the Orlando community.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ communications team issued a statement addressed to News 13 reporters and employees on Thursday morning:
“We would like to extend our heartfelt condolences and prayers to all of you following the murder of your colleague Dylan Lyons. There are no words to express the anguish and outrage that we and all good-hearted Floridians feel over this senseless killing of a young man living out his dream. We too want this murderer to be quickly brought to justice, and know that the Lyons family and all of you at News13 and in the greater Orlando community are in our thoughts.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also commented on the shootings:
“Our hearts go out to the family of the journalist killed today and the crew member injured in Orange County, Florida, as well as the whole Spectrum News team,” Jean-Pierre said on Twitter.
How it unfolded
Deputies initially responded to the Pine Hills area, just northwest of Orlando, on Wednesday morning following reports of a woman being shot on Hialeah Street. The woman, later identified as Augustin, did not survive. She had been shot in the chin, according to deputies.
A witness told deputies he and Augustin had been driving around and spotted 19-year-old Keith Moses walking along the street. He told investigators Moses -- identified by multiple media outlets as the cousin of the witness -- “seemed down” and he offered him a ride.
The witness said Moses got into the car and sat behind Augustin, who was in the front passenger seat and about 30 seconds later, the witness heard “a loud bang” and saw blood on Augustin’s face. He pulled over and called 911 and Moses ran from the scene, he said.
He told investigators there was no argument between Moses and Augustin before the shooting and that the two didn’t know each other.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina said Moses later returned to the scene of the homicide in the Pine Hills neighborhood, where he found the news crew in what Mina described as an unmarked news vehicle.
According to witnesses, a man -- later identified as Moses -- approached the news vehicle around 4 p.m. Wednesday and opened fire, hitting Lyons and Walden, who were there to cover the story of Augustin’s homicide. The man then walked to a nearby home and shot the mother and daughter.
T’yonna Major died from her injuries, and her mother was in critical condition at last report.
Mina said they don’t immediately have a motive for any of the shootings. He said that Moses wasn’t saying much to investigators and that it was unclear why Moses entered the home of the mother and child or if the news crew was targeted.
Moses “as far as we know, had no connection to the reporters and no connection to the mother and the 9-year-old,” Mina said.
WFTV crews, who were also reporting on the morning shooting, tried to give medical aid to the Spectrum 13 journalists.
Mina acknowledged their “brave” efforts.
“(They) witnessed the shooting and rendered aid to the journalists until our deputies arrived,” he said Thursday.
The men were taken to nearby hospitals, along with the girl and her mother. Lyons and the child died at the hospital. The mother remained in critical condition Thursday and Walden was speaking with detectives, the sheriff said.
“I want to acknowledge what a horrible day this has been for our community and our media partners,” Mina told a room full of reporters on Wednesday. “I work closely with all of you and know many of you and know the very difficult job that you do and also the very important job that you do for our community and for law enforcement. No one in our community -- not a mother, not a 9-year-old and certainly not news professionals -- should become the victim of gun violence in our community.”
(Click photo below to watch uncut news briefing)
Mina said witnesses and video evidence identified Moses as the shooter involved in both the morning homicide and the deadly afternoon attacks.
“He’s eventually going to be charged with the murder this morning and then the four shootings this afternoon, definitely murder on the news reporter,” Mina said Wednesday.
The sheriff said Moses has a criminal history that includes gun charges, aggravated battery and assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and grand theft.
Mina said Moses fought deputies, then fought hospital staff and also fought detectives during an interview attempt. They recovered a semiautomatic handgun from his clothing that was “still hot to touch.”
“We’re not looking for anyone else. He’s our guy. He’s the suspect,” Mina said Thursday. “We’re going to obviously do ballistics testing, but our detectives believe that was the firearm used in this case.”
This is 19-year-old Keith Melvin Moses, the suspect in a series of shootings today that left three dead, in OCSO custody. This is a sad day for our community. Three were murdered today, including a woman in her 20s, a 9-year-old girl and a @MyNews13 employee. pic.twitter.com/DXXkxzRHl5
— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) February 23, 2023
Worldwide 40 journalists were reported killed last year, plus another two this year before Wednesday, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Only one of those was in the United States.
Jeff German, who covered politics and corruption for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, was found dead outside of his home in September after being stabbed multiple times. Former Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles, who had been a frequent subject of German’s reporting, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge.
In 2015, Virginia reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward were shot and killed during their live TV broadcast for CBS affiliate WDBJ7. The suspect, a former reporter for the TV station, died by suicide during the law enforcement search for him.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.