Philadelphia-born TV Reporter Fatally Shot Covering News Story in Florida
A television news reporter born and raised in Philadelphia was shot and killed while covering a story about a shooting in Central Florida Wednesday.
Details
- Five people were shot, three fatally
- One of the three was 24-year-old Dylan Lyons, a reporter for Spectrum News 13, a cable television news network that serves the Orlando area
- A news photographer with Spectrum News 13, Jesse Walden, was also shot and critically injured
The Orlando Sentinel reports the scene unfolded Wednesday morning in a neighborhood northwest of Orlando. There, deputies found 38-year-old Nathacha Augustin in a vehicle; she had been fatally shot.
Around 4:00 that afternoon as television news crews were preparing to report on that shooting, 19-year-old Kevin Melvin Moses allegedly walked up to a news vehicle that Lyons and Walden were inside of and opened fire.
From there, authorities say Moses went to a nearby home and shot a woman and her 9-year-old daughter, T'yonna Major. The child was fatally wounded; her mother was last reported to be in critical condition.
Police believe Moses is responsible for all five shootings. He was taken into custody and is currently facing a murder charge in the shooting of one of the victims and is expected to face additional charges.
According to WESH-TV, Moses has a lengthy criminal history, including aggravated battery, assault, and grand theft.
From Philly to Florida
Per reporting from Spectrum News 13, Lyons was born and raised in Philadelphia but made Central Florida his home. His career took him to Gainesville before eventually moving to Orlando.
GoFundMe established
A GoFundMe page has been established to help cover Lyons' funeral expenses. As of lunchtime Thursday, over $28,000 had been raised.
Rachel Lyons, Dylan's sister, posted,
He was a reporter for Spectrum news and was ambushed and murdered while covering a story in Orlando florida .He was an acting father to his niece and nephew who he loved so much. He loved his fiancé and and was a devoted son to his mother and father. 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.
Additional coverage
- Spectrum News 13: Remembering Dylan Lyons
- WESH-TV: Reporter, 9-year-old girl killed in Orlando shooting spree: What we know
- WFTV-TV: ‘Stunned & heartbroken’: A nation reacts to TV journalist, girl killed in Pine Hills mass shooting