A manhunt is ongoing after a police officer was fatally shot Monday morning near an Orlando Walmart, according to police officials. The first officer was shot multiple when approaching murder suspect Markeith Loyd at around 7am and passed away soon after. Loyd then fled, stealing a car and firing shots at a pursuing police car before ditching the car and stealing another, according to local police.
The second officer was killed in a motorcycle accident related to the manhunt, although few details have been released about that death, including the identity of the officer. It sounds unlikely the suspect was directly involved in that death, but we will update as more information becomes available.
The first officer killed was Master Sgt. Debra Clayton, a 17-year veteran on the force who was reportedly very involved in the community and well-liked among her peers on the force. Loyd was initially wanted for his connection to an ex-girlfriend’s death, but now has an additional $60,000 reward attached to his name after killing Sgt. Clayton. Loyd previously had been convicted of battery of a law enforcement office and resisting arrest with violence, spending four years in prison as a result. He was also charged in a 1995 murder case, but the charges against him were dropped.
[via CBS]