RSF condemns the attack on two Spectrum News 13 journalists, resulting in the death of reporter Dylan Lyons

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is outraged by the killing of a journalist while he was reporting in Florida and calls for the authorities to ensure that justice is served.

Reporter Dylan Lyons and photojournalist Jesse Walden were reporting for Spectrum News 13 on the shooting homicide of a 20-year-old woman in Pine Hills, a suburb west of Orlando in central Florida, on 22 February. A few hours later, the suspected gunman in the earlier attack returned to the scene of the crime and, this time, opened gunfire, killing 24-year-old Lyons and injuring Walden. 

“The shooting of two journalists working to cover a crime in their community is horrendous and sobering for media workers. The United States is sadly no stranger to gun crimes but the fact that reporters can now risk their lives covering this type of violence is highly disturbing and worrying. Following the quick action taken by local authorities in arresting the suspect, RSF also calls for a swift investigation.”

RSF’s US Bureau

Dylan Lyons had worked at Spectrum News 13 since July 2022. 

The suspect has been charged in the first shooting. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office says it anticipates more charges to be filed, possibly including those for the attack on Lyons and Walden. The sheriff says they are still investigating whether the journalists were targeted for their work. 

According to the US Press Freedom Tracker, more than 300 journalists have been shot or shot at since 2017. Lyons is the seventh journalist killed in the past five years in the US.

The United States is ranked 42nd out of 180 countries on RSF’s 2022 World Press Freedom Index. 

Source: RSF