Families of slain journalist and 9-year-old in Florida shooting speak out

By Treasure Welle, CNN

The families of Orlando, Florida, shooting spree victims, journalist Dylan Lyons and nine-year-old T’yonna Major, shared their emotional story and demanded “sane and responsible gun legislation in America” following the death of their loved ones, Friday on CNN This Morning.

“She made me a girl dad, and a gymnastics dad. I will always be her number-one fan. Yaya strong, she was my world,” Tokiyo Major, father of T’yonna Major, said as he wore the 26 medals T’yonna had won during her time in gymnastics.

Brandi Major, T’yonna’s mother, said her daughter “was just my heart, my angel, and I’m gonna miss her so much.”

“My heart hurts more than anything, sometimes I just wish I coulda took every bullet for her. And she could be here and still shining and showing y’all how great she is,” Brandi Major continued as Beth Lyons, mother of Dylan Lyons, placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.

Beth Lyons, while clutching a pillow with a picture of her son, said that Dylan was “a mama’s boy that would do anything for” her. “When Dylan died, I died,” she added.

Dylan’s fiancé, Casey Fite, mourns his death as well as the life they had planned together, “I’m just so devastated that it was ripped from me so early.” She explained that she and Dylan “wanted to have three babies. We had the names picked out already. We just, we were so happy.”

Casey has started a Gofundme page, which CNN has verified, aimed at raising money to pay for IVF treatment so that she “can have the baby we so desperately wanted to have together.” Following Dylan’s death, a doctor was able to harvest eight vials of his sperm for IVF treatment, a family attorney told CNN.

Dylan’s father, Gary Lyon, ended the interview by stating that “today is about the bonding between” the Majors and the Lyons. “We’re bonded forever because of this tragedy and we want change in America. We want change because this should never have happened.”

“We’ve cried with Tokiyo and Brandi, we’ve shared each other’s lives, stories about our children, we’re fathers and mothers, fiancés who’ve lost such a … our lives will never be the same and we just want change in America,” he added.

Sheriff’s investigators have said the suspected shooter, Keith Moses, is accused of killing Nathacha Augustin on the morning of February 22 — which brought news crews to the scene. Hours later in the neighborhood just west of Orlando, he broke into a family home and shot T’Yonna Major and her mother, then went outside and fatally shot a reporter and wounded another journalist, according to the affidavit for the arrest warrant.

Moses, 19, entered a not-guilty plea in connection to the killings of Lyons and Major, according to court records in Orange County.

The court records were dated March 6.

Last month, Moses entered a not-guilty plea on charges related to the death of Augustin, 38, who was killed about five hours before the other slayings.

Moses has pleaded not guilty to all charges he faces, including three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, and armed burglary of a dwelling with a firearm, court records show.

Moses remains incarcerated in Orange County, according to online records. CNN has reached out to his attorney.

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CNN’s Raja Razek and Steve Almasy contributed to this report.