Tied together through tragedy: 2 families of Pine Hills shooting victims meet

2 families of Pine Hills shooting victims tied together through tragedy

The families of two victims killed in a series of shootings in Pine Hills last week met for the first time on Tuesday after hiring the same attorney.

ORLANDO, Fla. - The families of two victims killed in a series of shootings in Pine Hills last week met for the first time on Tuesday after hiring the same attorney.

Attorney Mark NeJame said relatives of Spectrum News 13 reporter Dylan Lyons and nine-year-old T'yonna Major embraced amid tears. "Saw each other and started crying on each other's shoulders," he said. "The fathers were hugging, laughing, sobbing, reminiscing, and sharing."

NeJame said the mothers of both victims and Lyons’ fiancée were also holding hands, wanting to talk about the message they plan to send out to the public. "It has to do with gun violence in America," NeJame explained.

NeJame said that Major had just come home from school. Her father was at the dentist's and her mother was in the bedroom. "T’yonna was in the home and all of a sudden this intruder came in the back door, saw the little girl, and shot her."

That accused intruder and alleged gunman has been identified by police as 19-year-old Keith Melvin Moses.

MORE HEADLINES:

NeJame said Major ran to her mother, Brandi, who was taking a nap because she works nighttime security. Both mother and daughter were shot, but Brandi survived.

"She was a sweet girl, a bright girl with a bright future, and everything she had in her life is cut down by someone just full of evil," said family spokesperson Bishop Kelvin Cobaris.

Investigators said Moses then ran outside and saw the crew from Spectrum News 13. "I got out of my car, went to my trunk to start pulling out things and as I was about to open the trunk, I got shot," said Spectrum News 13 photojournalist Jessie Walden, who also survived the shooting.

"It appears he just came to the side and then shot into the window and struck Dylan with fatal shots," NeJame said.

Lyons would not hear the shot from his cameraman because he had his headset on as he was working on his laptop preparing for a report. NeJame said the families want changes, so this doesn’t happen to others. Both families plan to have a news conference together on Thursday afternoon.

NeJame said he is working on the case pro bono. He also said lawmakers need to stop blaming the state attorney for all the gun violence.

First-degree murder charges have been filed against Moses in the deaths of Lyons, Major, and 38-year-old Nathaca Augustin.

Orange County Crime and Public Safety