Exotic dancer claimed to be cousin of Orlando ride victim. Not true. Now she’s fired.
A woman who claimed she was the cousin of the young man who died from falling off a ride at Orlando’s ICON Park is now out of a job.
Shay Johnson (real name: Lewishena Lavonia Browning) had been a fixture at events paying homage to Tyre Sampson, who died March 24 after plunging from a 400-foot-high drop tower called FreeFall.
Browning’s boss at local adult entertainment club Flash Dancers fired her, the Orlando Sentinel reports, calling what she did “unconscionable.”
The 32-year-old stripper appeared believable at first, tearfully speaking to media about her “cousin,” wearing a T-shirt and holding a sign with the teen’s photo.
“He said he wanted to ride,” she tearfully told reporters, claiming to be with him the night of the tragedy though she was seen working on surveillance footage. “I said, ‘OK. Ride it twice and ride it for me, too.’ ”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said that despite lying about her relationship to the 14-year-old teen, no crime was committed and no charges were filed.
An investigation by the state is still ongoing and a lawsuit by Tyre’s family is likely. Initial reports revealed that the Missouri teen’s harness was locked at the time of the fall.
“Harness was still in a down and locked position when the ride stopped,” said the report filed by the operator with the Fair Rides division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
There are also questions about whether the teenager may have been too large to be allowed on the ride. The weight requirement for the drop tower is 286 pounds and he reportedly weighed 340 pounds.
A funeral will be held Saturday in Tyre’s hometown of St. Louis. Florida rapper YK Osiris told TMZ he plans to help pay for the service.
This story was originally published April 8, 2022 at 3:20 PM.
