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Colleagues and loved ones are mourning the loss of Dylan Lyons, a television journalist who was shot while covering an earlier shooting in Orlando, Fla.
Spectrum News 13 is remembering the 24-year-old as « a motivated and talented professional who was living his dream in Orlando » and « will not be forgotten. »
The Philadelphia native had lived in Florida since college and started at the station as a multimedia journalist in July 2022, according to his biography. It says his journey to the profession « was fueled by his desire to tell stories that impact local communities. »
Lyons was part of a news crew reporting from the Pine Hills neighborhood on the fatal shooting of a woman in her 20s that had happened earlier on Wednesday. The day ended with two others dead and two critically injured.
Orange County authorities said the suspect in the first killing returned to the scene and opened fire, hitting two reporters, who Spectrum News 13 has since identified as Lyons and photojournalist Jesse Walden. He then walked to a nearby home and shot a woman and her 9-year-old daughter, who also died.
Police announced later Wednesday that they had detained that suspect, 19-year-old Keith Melvin Moses, who they say was an acquaintance of the first victim but does not appear to have connections to the others. Authorities have yet to determine a motive and say it’s not clear whether he knew Lyons and Walden were members of the media because their vehicle was not clearly marked as a typical news van.
The tragedy has sent shock waves across and beyond the Orlando community, with condolences pouring in from local law enforcement officials, state politicians and the White House even before Lyons’ identity was released.
Now Lyons’ loved ones are sharing more personal tributes, emphasizing how much he loved his job, his community and his family — which has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for funeral expenses.
The organizer, who identifies herself as Lyons’ older sister Rachel, describes him as a loving fiancé, devoted son and acting father to his niece and nephew.
« Dylan would have been 25 years old in March, » she wrote. « He was a happy soul and wonderful person in life.
