Fiancée of Reporter Killed in Shooting Is Asking for Help to Have His Child Via IVF: 'Wanted Nothing More'
The fiancée of a journalist who was fatally shot last month wants to keep his legacy alive.
Dylan Lyons, a Spectrum News 13 reporter, was killed on Feb. 22 when a gunman opened fire on him and photojournalist Jesse Walden — who was critically injured — as they sat in their car in the Pine Hills neighborhood of Orlando.
The woman who was set to be Dylan's wife is now asking for help to have his child. She created a GoFundMe on Thursday to raise money for IVF treatments.
"My name is Casey Fite and the love of my life, my fiancé, Dylan Lyons Spectrum 13 news reporter was ambushed and murdered while covering a story in Orlando," she shared.
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Gofundme
Casey went on to reflect on the earlier days of her and Dylan's romance.
"Dylan and I first met back in 2020, in Gainesville at his first station TV20 in Gainesville. From the moment I met Dylan I knew he was someone special and was the most handsome man I ever saw."
The pair became official in November 2021 "and we had our entire lives planned."
Casey praised Dylan as a selfless partner who didn't mind sacrificing his desires to make his fiancée happy.
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"he did everything for me…," wrote Casey in the campaign that has raised nearly $2,000 of its $50,000 goal on Friday. "Dylan was a vegan but he would still take me out to restaurants I liked just because he wanted to make me happy…that's the type of man my Dylan was. He didn't care what he liked, he wanted me to go where I liked. I couldn't have asked for a better partner in life, and I am forever heartbroken."
She added that she and Dylan badly wanted "nothing more" than to have a family.
"Dylan and I wanted nothing more than to get married and have children…the night he passed away, I researched about harvesting his sperm. I called doctor after doctor until I found one who was able to perform the procedure within the 24 hour period. The doctor was able to retrieve 8 vials of his sperm, and I am going to do IVF to have the baby we so desperately wanted to have together.
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"I am devastated he can't be here for what we always wanted…Dylan would have been the best dad in the world…any contribution would be appreciated so we can still have our baby as I want to keep my Dylan's legacy alive."
Casey first broke her silence on Dylan's murder the day after he was gunned down.
"The love of my life was murdered," she tweeted as she shared a GoFundMe link to raise money for Dylan's funeral services. "I will never be the same person ever again. Please help my family and I during this time."
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When he was gunned down, Lyons and Walden were in the area to cover the shooting death of 38-year-old Nathacha Augustin, who was killed just hours earlier. Following the attack on the journalist the gunman walked nearby and fatally shot 9-year-old T'Yonna Major. Her mother was injured.
The alleged shooter was arrested at the scene. Authorities alleged he was responsible for the earlier shooting also.
A Philadelphia native and 2019 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Lyons was previously president of the radio and television digital news association UCF chapter, said Rick Brunson, a senior instructor of journalism for the university's Nicholson School of Communication and Media.
Saying he felt "numb" after hearing of his former student's death, Brunson, 62, told PEOPLE he first met Lyons in his News Reporting course, adding, "I worked with Dylan the entire time he was here, pretty closely."
"He was a leader; he would lead by example," Brunson continued in part. "A lot of students don't come to office hours, they try to tough it out on their own. But Dylan was always in my office, bringing in his copy, bringing in his scripts. He always wanted to be sharper; he always wanted to get better."
