Vigils to be held for 9-year-old girl, Orlando journalist, woman killed in Florida shootings
ORLANDO, Fla. - Two candlelight vigils will be held on Friday night to honor the three lives lost in the Pine Hills, Florida shooting – and to support everyone impacted.
One will be held at the ICP Orlando Church at 5850 Clarcona Ocoee Road in Orlando. It will start at 7 p.m. The church says it will help bring the community together during this heartbreaking time.
Another vigil is being held at the University of Central Florida at 6:30 p.m. outside the Nicholson School of Communication and Media.
Orange County deputies said Spectrum News 13 reporter Dylan Lyons and 9-year-old T'yonna Major were shot and killed on Wednesday by 19-year-old Keith Melvin Moses. He is also accused of shooting and killing Nathacha Augustin, 38, inside her vehicle Wednesday morning.
Lyons and photojournalist Jesse Walden were in the area covering the earlier shooting and were preparing for an upcoming TV live shot, when Moses approached them and shot them, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said.
Neighbors told FOX 35 that nine-year-old Major has just gotten home from school when Moses entered their home and shot her and her mother. Major's mom, whom family has identified as Brandi, remains at the hospital. Authorities have not yet confirmed her name.
Jesse Walden, Orlando photojournalist, describes shooting that injured him, killed reporter Dylan Lyons
Jesse Walden, a photojournalist with Spectrum News 13 who was shot while covering a story about a shooting earlier in the day, told FOX 35's Amanda McKenzie that he is still recovering at the hospital, and that he is devastated over the death of his colleague, Dylan Lyons.
"It’s breaking my heart. It’s different when you don’t know a family, but when you see them every day," a neighbor said. "See that little girl come home from school so happy with her mom and dad, and now she’s gone."
A motive in the shootings is unclear and remains under investigation. Sheriff Mina said it's not known why Moses shot any of the victims, and that he does not appear to have a direct connection to any of them. Officials previously described Augustin as a possible "acquaintance."
He said Moses has declined to talk to deputies, and that it's unclear if he knew the journalists were journalists.
Why was accused Pine Hills shooter on the streets with lengthy criminal history?
Orange County Sheriff John Mina says the man accused of three deadly shooting in Pine Hills has a long criminal history, including arrests in eight felonies and 11 misdemeanors, and he's only 19. That had many people wondering why he was out of jail in the first place and not behind bars.
Sheriff Mina said Moses was a known gang member, but said the shooting was not gang-related. Officials said Moses has a history of alleged crimes, most of which occurred when he was a juvenile, which state law apparently prevents those documents from being confirmed, denied, or released.