ORLANDO, Fla. – The families of two of the three victims in a string of Pine Hills shootings last week talked Thursday about their loved ones publicly for the first time, but also criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Rick Scott for attacking the Orange-Osceola state attorney in a “coordinated effort to paint a false narrative.”
Attorney Mark Nejame sat with the families of News 13 reporter Dylan Lyons, 24, and T’yonna Major, 9, who cried and held onto each other. Nejame said both families had reached out to him separately to represent them, and then asked to meet each other.
Nejame does not represent the family of the third victim, Nathacha Augustin, who was the first victim killed last week.
Nejame said the two families came from different socioeconomic backgrounds but were now bonded through their tragedy.
“They’re now members of a club that no person would ever wish to be a member of — and that is one who has lost a child or fiancé to gun violence,” Nejame said. “Both families are unified in their quest to bring attention to gun violence in America and the insanity that has gripped some politicians and others over this issue.”
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“It doesn’t make a difference if you’re Black or white, if you live in Pine Hills or Windermere, if you’re Democrat or Republican; gun violence, it’s always the same. Look around this room. Last week it was our family, it could be yours next week or one of your friends or relatives or yourselves,” said Dylan Lyons’ father, Gary.
“It’s not just these families, everybody’s hurting. Something’s gotta be done,” Brandi Major sobbed, before she finally asked to leave the room, unable to speak anymore.
Nejame also turned his attention to DeSantis and Scott, whom he accused of conspiring “in a coordinated effort to paint a false narrative,” and defended Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell, who has called for changes to the juvenile justice system in Florida so it is better able to handle violent juvenile offenders.
Nejame claimed Scott and DeSantis — who have both demanded documents relating to the suspect in the case, Keith Moses, and accused Worrell of failing to hold violent criminals accountable — were actually deflecting from “the issue of gun violence in America and their support for essentially insane, barely-restricted gun laws and open carry legislation, which will only cause more needless and innocent deaths.”
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“Nobody on this planet wants this murderer convicted and sentenced to the maximum more than these families, I assure you,” Nejame said. “However, easy access to deadly firearms, including people such as this killer, who was apparently legally allowed to have one, is the issue that DeSantis and Scott are avoiding and deflecting.”
Gary Lyons, father of Dylan Lyons, said the families have not heard from either DeSantis or Scott to give their condolences, but had received condolences from Worrell, Orange County Sheriff John Mina and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings.
Lyons said he had learned about Scott’s and DeSantis’ remarks through the news media.
“As parents themselves, I was shocked they couldn’t take 30 seconds out of their time to just call and say I’m sorry about the death of your child,” Lyons said. “The emotion we heard from Mayor Demings, we heard from Monique Worrell, we heard from John Mina were all very sympathetic to us in our time of grief, and we were very appreciative of that.
“How our governor and senator could not even reach out, (DeSantis) was there at Disney, taking back the Disney district, but he couldn’t call for 30 seconds?” he added.
Lyons said the epidemic of gun violence was killing “the fabric of America.”
“I don’t know the solution for gun violence in America, but politicians and legislators, they need to create tougher gun laws and not worry so much about political ambitions or affiliations, or highlight Second Amendment rights without regard to the lives that matter,” Lyons said.
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