There are no words to describe the choking grief when the sharp impact of bullets ends young lives full of bright promise. That impact hits across communities, but it is felt most keenly by those who understood the potential that has suddenly been erased.
Bullets stole the potential of a young man who was known by his colleagues at Spectrum News as a dedicated, talented reporter who approached his work with drive and determination. Dylan Lyons, 24, a graduate of West Palm Beach’s Dreyfoos School of the Arts, was slain by gunfire a week ago as he reported on the shooting death earlier that day of Nathacha Augustin in Pine Hills; photojournalist Jesse Walden was also wounded. Soon thereafter, 9-year-old T’Yonna Major — who dreamed of following in the steps of gymnast Gabby Douglas — was killed, and her mother Brandi wounded, in a nearby house. According to Orange County Sheriff John Mina, the same gunman was implicated in all five shootings.
Those who knew these young people will never really get over it. But somehow, again and again, the greater community forgets their searing grief. Life goes on. Until, for the next victim, it doesn’t.
