ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Nearly two years after mass shootings left a 9-year-old girl, an Orlando TV reporter, and another woman dead, NeJame Law announced a lawsuit against the Orange County Sheriff’s Office over what they call preventable deaths.
On Tuesday, attorneys held a news conference about the lawsuit, filed on behalf of three victims in those shootings: T’Yonna Major, her mother Brandi Turner and TV news reporter Dylan Lyons.
The incident happened in February 2023 after Keith Moses, 21, shot and killed 38-year-old Nathacha Augustin, whose body was later found by a car on Hialeah Street, deputies said. NeJame Law’s release shows that Augustin was a “rising star” in the hip-hop community, performing under the moniker of “Honey D.”
The lawsuit argues that Major’s death could have been avoided if proper warnings had been issued.
According to the lawsuit, deputies managed to clean up the crime scene and reopen the area within around four hours but failed to notify residents that Moses could still be in the area, even after being asked for information.
During the news conference, NeJame spoke about how when Major was picked up from school by her mother, Brandi Turner, she did not know about a murder that had occurred nearby. Despite law enforcement’s awareness of the murderer’s identity, no alerts were issued to the community. Turner was waved into the neighborhood by a deputy, unaware of the danger.
Hours after Augustin was killed, investigators said Moses came back to the area, entering Turner’s home through the back door nearly half an hour after deputies left the crime scene.
Upon entering Turner’s home, the sheriff’s office said Moses fatally shot 9-year-old T’Yonna Major and wounded her mother. He then fled the home, running into a Spectrum News 13 news team that was reporting on Augustin’s death.
“That individual, who is currently incarcerated, pending trial, had been arrested multiple times years ago, and all those records were there. And the knowledge of who that individual was known and not distributed,” NeJame said.
While the cameraman and Turner ultimately survived their encounters with Moses, both Major and Lyons succumbed to their injuries, deputies later announced.
Shortly after this second round of shootings, deputies once more responded to the neighborhood and found Moses, whom they arrested after several minutes, the lawsuit states.
Moses was ultimately charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, armed burglary, resisting arrest, shooting into a building, shooting into an occupied vehicle, carrying a concealed firearm, armed trespassing, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
The lawsuit accuses the sheriff’s office of racial discrimination, saying the agency does not provide adequate protection to residents of the Pine Hills area.
During the news conference, NeJame emphasized the need for policy changes within the sheriff’s office to ensure equal protection for all communities. While NeJame expressed admiration for Sheriff John Mina, he pointed out flaws within the department he says contributed to the “preventable deaths”.
“It could have been prevented if in fact, the same treatment was given to those in Pine Hills as is given in other areas of Central Florida,” NeJame said.
On Tuesday, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office released a statement on the lawsuit.
“Keith Moses is the only person responsible for the heinous acts of violence that took the lives of three of our residents and gravely injured two others. We grieve those losses along with our community. The claims against the Orange County Sheriff’s Office are unfounded and we will be asking the judge to dismiss this case.”
Orange County Sheriff's Office
The lawsuit seeks compensation for the victims’ families and calls for the implementation of standard notification procedures in similar situations.
“Just do the right thing. Change your policies, make it better,” NeJame said.
This is the second lawsuit attorney Mark NeJame has filed regarding the 2023 killing spree. Last month he announced another case against Charter Communications on behalf of Lyons’ estate.
In that case, NeJame claims that the company — which owns Spectrum News 13 — was responsible for sending Lyons out to the crime scene, where he was ultimately shot and killed.
Read the copy lawsuit filed on Monday against the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in the media player below:
2025-2-17-EFiledComplaint (1) by Anthony Talcott on Scribd