Before her life was cut short, 9-year-old T’Yonna Major wowed everyone who knew her with her gymnastics.
T’Yonna died after she was shot along with her mother in a series of killings Wednesday in the Pine Hills community. She was remembered as an outstanding student and a promising young gymnast.
Her father, Tokiyo Major, described his daughter in a GoFundMe post as “a light to everyone that knew her.” Her teachers would call her the next Gabby Douglas, an Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics.
“On Feb. 22, 2023, the unthinkable happened,” Major wrote. “Our home was invaded by an armed gunman, who gunned down my 9-year-old daughter and shot my wife. Senseless violence has taken the life of my little girl.”
T’Yonna’s mother, Brandi, was shot in the arm and is now out of the hospital recovering, said Billy Seagraves, who owns a plumbing company where T’Yonna’s father works as a technician.
Seagraves said he met with the family Thursday morning and they are devastated by the seemingly random act of violence that took their daughter’s life. T’Yonna’s mother had left the home’s door open to let her dog in or out of the house, Seagraves said.
“(The gunman) busted through the open door and in a matter of seconds all hell broke loose, and then he was gone again,” said Seagraves, who owns Your Environment’s Solution.
Seagraves and Tokiyo’s co-workers started a GoFundMe page to raise money for the family.
T’Yonna and her mother were the last victims in a day-long rampage by 19-year-old Keith Melvin Moses, according to Orange County Sheriff John Mina.
Deputies had earlier been called to the 6100 block of Hialeah Street where they found 38-year-old Nathacha Augustin, described as an acquaintance of Moses, shot dead in a vehicle. Around 4 p.m., Moses returned and shot two journalists for Spectrum News 13 who were covering Augustin’s killing, authorities said. Reporter Dylan Lyons later died.
Moses then went to the home where he shot T’Yonna and her mother, investigators said. The motive for the violence remains unclear.
Grief counselors were available for students and staff at Pine Hills Elementary School on Thursday morning.
In a recorded message to parents, Principal Latonya Smothers said T’Yonna “was one of the victims of yesterday’s senseless violence in our neighborhood.”
“I know I speak for our entire Pine Hills community when I express the grief that we feel at the loss of one of our own,” Smothers said. “She was a kind and beautiful young girl with an infectious smile. She will be missed dearly.”
Smothers expressed hope that T’Yonna’s mother will make a full recovery. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family as they go through this incredibly difficult time,” the principal said.
School officials urged parents to speak to their children about the tragedy.
“A wide range of emotions can be felt during this grief process and we encourage you to openly discuss your child’s reaction to this news,” Smothers said.
In a written statement, Orange County Schools Superintendent Maria Vazquez offered her “deepest sympathies and prayers” to the families of the victims.
Seagraves said the community needs to search for ways to stop the violence and reach troubled youth.
“Sooner or later, we have to figure out a way to fix the children before they are of an age you can’t fix them,” he said. “You have so many young people who don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel for themselves. They don’t feel like anybody cares anything about them.”
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