An Orlando TV journalist and a child were shot and killed on Wednesday evening near a crime scene where a woman was found shot to death earlier in the day, in a brutal spate of violence in Pine Hills that prompted widespread shock and grief.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina said at a news conference that the journalist for Spectrum News 13 and 9-year-old T’yonna Major were among four people who were shot. The others were another member of the News 13 crew and the mother of the girl.
Spectrum News 13 released the names of their two journalists who were shot. Reporter Dylan Lyons, 24, a Philadelphia native and UCF grad who previously worked in Gainesville, was killed while photojournalist Jesse Walden was critically injured.
Mina said a suspect, Keith Melvin Moses, 19, was in custody — and he was also suspected in the earlier shooting of 38-year-old Nathacha Augustin.
The journalists were working on a story about Augustin’s killing in the Pine Hills neighborhood.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and the other lives senselessly taken today,” Charter Communications, the parent company of Spectrum News 13, said in statement shared on Twitter.
“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.”
According to WFTV-Channel 9, which also had journalists at the scene who were not injured, the shooter walked up to the News 13 vehicle and opened fire.
“The man walked by our crew who was working in their car. Our crew ducked,” WFTV’s Nick Papantonis tweeted. “The man then walked up to the other crew working in their car and opened fire.”
The Channel 9 reporters rendered aid as first responders were called. Multiple ambulances reportedly left the scene and took the victims to Orlando Regional Medical Center.
Mina said the suspect walked up to the News 13 vehicle around 4:05 p.m. and fired into it, hitting the photographer and reporter. Both were taken to the hospital where Lyons was pronounced dead.
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Moses then went to a house on Harrington Street nearby and shot a woman and her 9-year-old daughter, according to Mina. Deputies arrested Moses nearby not long after, Mina said. He had a handgun that detectives believe was used in the shooting.
Mina said the vehicle did not look like a typical news van with the markings of the TV station on it, so it was unclear if the Spectrum journalists were targeted due to their profession. It’s also not clear why Moses allegedly targeted the woman and her daughter.
“I want to acknowledge what a horrible day this has been for the community and our media partners,” Mina said.
News 13’s staff continued live reporting Wednesday night despite their co-workers being killed and wounded.
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