Reporter Killed in US and one injured, Spectrum News 13, a Florida television station, identified Dylan Lyons, a 24-year-old reporter, who was fatally shot while covering a shooting death in an Orlando area neighborhood. The photojournalist, Jesse Walden, who was accompanying him, was critically injured in the rampage. Orange County Sheriff John Mina said in a news conference that the two journalists were in their unmarked news vehicle on Wednesday afternoon when a man approached and shot them. The man then went to a nearby home where he fatally shot a 9-year-old girl and critically injured her mother.
Keith Melvin Moses, 19, was detained as the suspect responsible for both shootings. “I want to acknowledge what a horrible day this has been for our community and our media partners,” Mina told a room full of reporters. “I work closely with all of you and know many of you and know the very difficult job that you do and also the very important job that you do for our community and for law enforcement. 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.”
The News 13 vehicle did not look like a typical news van with TV station markings, according to Mina. “So, the suspect is not saying much right now,” Mina said. “It is unclear if he knew they were news media or not. We’re still trying to work all that out.”
Moses “was an acquaintance of the woman this morning, but as far as we know, had no connection to the reporters and no connection to the mother and the 9-year-old,” Mina said. The shooter was already facing a murder charge for the initial victim, and charges are expected soon for the other four victims. Moses’ criminal history includes gun charges, as well as aggravated battery, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, and grand theft offenses, the sheriff said.
The White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Twitter after reporter killed in US, “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.” Spectrum 13 journalist Celeste Springer said during her live on-air report on Wednesday evening, “Please, please, say a prayer tonight for our co-worker who is in critical condition. And while you’re at it, please say a prayer for every victim of gun violence in this country.”
Lyons was born and raised in Philadelphia and graduated from the University of Central Florida, the station said. Before joining Spectrum News, he worked for a station in Gainesville. Lyons’ friend and colleague, Josh Miller, said, “(Lyons) took his job very seriously. He loved his career. He loved what he did. He loved the community, telling the stories of people, reporting on the news, and he was just passionate about what he did.”
Lyons would have turned 25 in March. Rachel Lyons, his older sister, is raising money for his funeral in a GoFundMe account. He is also survived by his parents and fiancée.
After reporter killed in US, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported that 40 journalists were killed worldwide last year, plus another two this year before Wednesday. Jeff German, who covered politics and corruption for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, was found dead outside his home in September 2022 after being stabbed multiple times. Former Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles, who had been a frequent subject of German’s reporting, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge.