Journo slain in Fla. ID’d
Spectrum News reporter shot at site of earlier killing
Dylan Lyons has been identified as the Spectrum News reporter who was fatally shot as he covered a bloody murder carried out in the same Florida neighborhood just hours before.
The reporter, 24, was shot alongside his photographer, Jesse Walden, who remained hospitalized as of Thursday morning. The pair were on Hialeah St. in Pine Hills Wednesday evening — reporting on the shooting death of 38-year-old Nathacha Augustin — when suspected gunman, 19-year-old Keith Moses, opened fire on their vehicle around 4:05 p.m.
From there, Moses burst into a nearby home, where he fatally shot a 9-year-old girl and wounded her mother, Orange County Sheriff John Mina told reporters. The younger victim was identified on Thursday as T’yonna Major.
Moses, who has a “lengthy” criminal history, was arrested shortly after. He has previously faced gun charges, as well as aggravated battery, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and grand theft offenses.
“He is being formally charged in the murder from this morning, and we expect additional charges for the shootings of the four people this afternoon,” Mina said.
A motive for the violent spree remained under investigation on Thursday, and Mina noted it’s still unclear if Moses knew whether Lyons (photo) and Walden were members of the media.
“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.
“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,” he continued. “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.”
Lyons was born and raised in Philadelphia, but later made his way to the Sunshine State to study at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. After graduation, he moved to Gainesville, where he started reporting and anchoring the news for WCBJ-TV, according to a lengthy tribute posted by Spectrum
News.
Lyons returned to the Orlando area when he started working for Spectrum in July.
“As a reporter, he’s honored to have the unique privilege of being a voice for the voiceless and making sure all communities and stories are treated fairly and equally,” his bio reads.
During his brief but successful career, Lyons nabbed an award from the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists for his coverage of the 2020 race for Florida’s 3rd Congressional District and was a finalist for another.
“He was an acting father to his niece and nephew who he loved so much,” his older sister, Rachel, wrote on a GoFundMe page to raise money for his funeral.
“He loved his fiancé and was a devoted son to his mother and father,” she continued. “Dylan would have been 25 years old in March. He was a happy soul and wonderful person in life, my brother was our baby. He was taken too early from us.”