A Florida reporter who was shot and killed on the job Wednesday after the suspect from an earlier shooting returned to the scene of the crime has been identified as Dylan Lyons, a reporter for Spectrum News 13.
“Following the shooting death of one of our colleagues and the wounding of another, Spectrum News 13 has now identified the reporter who lost his life as Dylan Lyons,” the Orlando-based outlet said Thursday morning.
According to a GoFundMe page set up by his family, Lyons was 24. He joined Spectrum News 13 in July 2022 as a multimedia journalist, according to a bio on the news outlet’s website.
Sheriff John Mina said Wednesday that Lyon had gone to Pine Hills, just outside Orlando, about 4 p.m. with a news crew to cover the murder of a 20-year-old woman who had been shot earlier that morning. .
Mina said the woman’s murder suspect, 19-year-old Keith Melvin Moses, returned to the scene and opened fire on Lyons and a photojournalist, identified by Spectrum News 13 as Jesse Walden, while both were in or near a vehicle Were. The sheriff said one of the victims had died, but he did not identify Lyons at the time.
Walden remained in critical condition as of Wednesday night. Spectrum News 13 news anchor Greg Angell said in a Twitter post that evening that “the second colleague injured in the shooting” was “able to speak with investigators and colleagues” while receiving treatment.
“Great sign. But there are a lot of procedures and treatments to come,” he said. Walden’s status was unclear as of Thursday morning.
The sheriff said after the attack, Moses went to a nearby house and shot the woman’s nine-year-old daughter. The girl, who is yet to be identified, died during treatment. The mother’s condition remained critical till Wednesday night. His condition was not immediately clear Thursday morning.
Mina said the suspect was arrested in the area and has been charged with preliminary murder. He said Moses would later be charged in four other shootings.
Mina said it was unclear whether Moses knew that Lyons and Walden “were news media.”
“The suspect isn’t saying much right now,” he said.
Mina said, “As far as we know, Musa had no connection with the journalists and the mother and the 9-year-old girl.” “We don’t know why he came into that house.”
The sheriff said the woman who was killed earlier was an acquaintance of the suspect.
The initial murder took place inside a vehicle, Mina said, and detectives had developed Moses as a suspect and were following leads when other shootings occurred.
“Once they took him into custody, the homicide detective who was familiar with him from a previous case said, ‘Yeah, this is our same guy from the earlier murder,'” Mina said.
It was not immediately clear whether Moses had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
In a statement earlier on Wednesday, Spectrum News described the violence as a tragedy.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and the senseless lives of others today. Our thoughts are with our employee’s family, friends and co-workers during this difficult time. We are hopeful that our other colleagues who were injured will make a full recovery,” it said.
in heartbreaking twitter PostCasey Lynn, a woman who identified herself as Lyons’ fiancee, wrote: “The love of my life was murdered.”
“I will never be the same person again,” he said, sharing a GoFundMe page set up by Leone’s family to help cover the costs of his funeral.
on his own twitter AccountLyons previously linked Casey Lynn’s account with a series of heart emojis.
In a GoFundMe set up by Lyons’ loved ones, the organizer, who identified herself as his older sister, Rachel Lyons, says the journalist was “an acting father figure to his niece and nephew who he loved dearly.”
“He loved his fiancé and was a devoted son to his mother and father,” wrote Rachel Lyons.
“Dylan would have been 25 in March,” she said. “He was a happy soul and a wonderful person to have in life. My brother was our child. He was taken from us too soon.”
“Born and raised in Philadelphia, Dylan’s journey to journalism was driven by his desire to tell stories that impact local communities,” states Lyons’ Spectrum News 13 bio.
The reporter was “a proud University of Central Florida graduate with degrees in journalism and political science,” it says, adding that during his time at UCF, Lyons reported for the UCF Nightly News, a student-run news station. Was and anchoring.
Prior to joining the Spectrum News 13 team, Lyons was reporting and anchoring for WCJB TV20, a local ABC affiliate in Gainesville, the bio said, adding that she was voted the best “politics/election series” by the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists. and a finalist for Investigative Reporting in 2021.
Tributes have poured in for Lyons in the wake of his death.
“If you knew Dylan, you knew he embodied journalism. Integrity, passion, ethics. Speed. He meant so much to so many people,” Megan Turner wrote in a doSharing the GoFundMe page set up by Lyons’ family.
Turner wrote, “I was his editor at UCF. He inspired me and always connected with those around him – pray for his loved ones and colleagues.”
“Absolutely awful. My heart drops @MyNews13Friends and family of journalist Dylan Lyons, and family and friends of a little 9-year-old girl,” Chandler Watkins wrote.
Many also shared condolence messages with Lyons’ fiancee, With Turner writing: “We’re here for you” in a Twitter post.
Another reporter, Alexandra Leslie, wrote, “I am so sorry for you and Dylan’s family.” “The reporters in Rhode Island are thinking about Dylan tonight,” she said.
