JUSTICE

Fugitive Wanted in FL Officer's Fatal Shooting Captured

After manhunt involving hundreds of officers in Orlando.

Police in Orlando on Tuesday night said they captured the suspect in a fatal shooting of one of their fellow officers after a weeklong manhunt. The suspect, identified as 41-year-old Markeith Loyd, was wearing body armor and carrying two handguns when he was surrounded by a SWAT team, Orlando Police Chief John Mina announced at a press conference. Loyd is accused of killing Lt. Debra Clayton outside a Walmart on Jan. 9, when Clayton approached him in connection with the death of his pregnant ex-girlfriend. Another officer, Norman Lewis, was killed in a car accident during the manhunt for Loyd. “I believe that our entire community is going to breathe a sigh of relief at this point. They will sleep better knowing tonight that... this maniac is off the streets,” Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said at the news conference. Hundreds of police officers had joined the manhunt for Loyd, and a $100,000 reward was offered for information leading to his arrest. The U.S. Marshals Service also added Loyd to its list of the most wanted fugitives on Tuesday, just hours before he was captured. In addition to charges for Clayton’s death, Loyd faces first-degree murder charges in the death of his ex-girlfriend.