January 1, TV News Reporter, 9-Year-Old Child Fatally Shot By Gunman Returning to Scene of Earlier Homicide

In Pine Hills, Florida, a man who shot and killed a woman on Wednesday morning returned to the crime scene later in the day and opened fire, fatally shooting a TV news reporter and a 9-year-old girl, authorities said.

Spectrum News 13 identified the reporter who lost his life as Dylan Lyons, 24. Photojournalist Jesse Walden remains in critical condition.

T’yonna Major, 9, was killed in a separate, but related, random shooting, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said. The gunman wounded her mother, who was also hospitalized in critical condition.

Authorities identified the woman killed Wednesday morning as Nathacha Augustin, 38.

Orange County Sheriff John Mina said a suspect, Keith Melvin Moses, 19, was in custody. Moses was charged with one count of murder in connection with Augustin’s killing. Additional charges were expected to follow for the other shootings, Mina said.

Mina said the suspect approached the News 13 vehicle on foot around 4:05 p.m. and fired into it, hitting Walden and Lyons. Both were transported to a hospital where Lyons was pronounced dead.

Moses then went to a house on a nearby street and shot a woman and her child, Mina said. Authorities apprehended Moses not long after, Mina said. The suspect was in possession of a handgun that investigators believe was used in the crimes.

Sheriff Mina said it was unclear why the suspect targeted the victims on Wednesday. Augustin, the 38-year-old woman, was an acquaintance of the gunman’s, but a motive has yet to be determined. Mina added that there was no apparent connection between Moses and the other four people he shot.

The sheriff noted that it’s also unclear if the gunman knew that the reporter and photographer were journalists, adding that their vehicle “doesn’t really look like a news vehicle to me.”

Sheriff Mina said that the 19-year-old suspect “has a lengthy criminal history,” including “gun charges, aggravated battery and assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and grand theft charges.”

Following news of the shooting, Spectrum News released the following statement: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and the other lives senselessly taken today. Our thoughts are with our employee’s family, friends and co-workers during this very difficult time. We remain hopeful that our other colleague who was injured makes a full recovery. This is a terrible tragedy for the Orlando community.”

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) tweeted: “This is absolutely horrible. My team and I are closely monitoring the situation and keeping these Floridians and their families in our prayers.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also offered condolences to the family members and loved ones of the victims.

“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,” she tweeted.

Sources: Orlando Sentinel | Spectrum News 13 | New York Times