Dylan Lyons, TV journalist from Philly, killed in Orlando while reporting on homicide
Lyons and a colleague, photojournalist Jesse Walden, were shot in Florida Wednesday while on the scene reporting.
Dylan Lyons, a Philadelphia native and TV news reporter, was shot and killed Wednesday while on the scene reporting.
Lyons, 24, was reporting from the scene of a homicide investigation in Pine Hills in Orange County, Fla., when he and a colleague, photojournalist Jesse Walden, were shot Wednesday afternoon, according to Orange County Sheriff John Mina. The two were in their news vehicle when they were shot, and Walden remains in critical condition, according to Spectrum News.
A mother and a 9-year old girl in a nearby home were also shot in a separate but related shooting, Mina told reporters in a news conference Wednesday. The 9-year-old later died.
“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,” Mina said.
Police said Kevin Moses, 19, fatally shot a 20-year-old woman who was an acquaintance on Wednesday morning, and returned to the scene later in the day and shot more people, including Lyons. Moses was charged with one count of murder in connection with the killing of the 20-year-old, and additional charges are expected for the other shootings, Mina said.
“It’s hard to know if he was targeting this news crew,” Mina said, noting that their news van “didn’t look like a typical news vehicle with a lot of markings on it.”
“It’s possible [Moses] could have mistaken that for law enforcement,” Mina added. “I just don’t know at this time.”
According to Spectrum News, Lyons was born and raised in Philadelphia but moved to Florida, where he attended the University of Central Florida.
Lyons joined Spectrum News 13 in July after having spent three years as an anchor and reporter at WCJB20, an ABC affiliate in Gainesville, Fla., according to his LinkedIn page. He attended high school at the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, but remained a Philadelphia sports fan, according to posts on his social media accounts.
“He took his job very seriously. He loved his career. He loved what he did,” said Spectrum Sports 360 reporter Josh Miller. “He loved the community, telling the stories of people, reporting on the news, and he was just passionate about what he did.”
“Dylan lit up every room he walked in, and worked on every story with unmatched enthusiasm and ethics. He cared so, so deeply about the communities he covered, and gave his everything to all stories he worked on,” said Megan Turner, who worked with Lyons at Nicholson Student Media, University of Central Florida’s digital college newspaper. “He was everything you could pray for in an ethical journalist.”
Celeste Springer, a fellow Spectrum News 13 reporter, choked up while updating the station’s audience about the investigation and the death of her co-worker.
“All I can ask for anyone watching at home right now is please, please say a prayer tonight for our coworker, who is in critical condition,” Springer said. “And while you’re at it, please say a prayer for every victim of gun violence in this country.”
White House Press Secretary Karie Jean-Pierre reacted to Lyons’ death on Twitter, writing, “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.”
“This is another tragic reminder that journalism is a dangerous business and that criminals and those that are the subject of reporting can become violent toward reporters who are doing their jobs,” the National Press Club said in a statement. “We urge all reporters in the field to take extra precaution and redouble efforts to work safely.”
A GoFundMe page was created by Rachel Lyons, the journalist’s sister, to help fund funeral services for her younger brother. The page was shared by Casey Lynn, Lyons’ finance.
“The love of my life was murdered. I will never be the same person ever again,” Lynn wrote on social media. “Please help my family and I during this time.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates. Staff writers Beatrice Forman and Emily Bloch contributed to this report.