Week-long manhunt for Orlando cop killer ends; Markeith Loyd in police net
Orlando Police capture suspected cop killer Markeith Loyd after week-long manhunt
Loyd, 41, shot veteran Orlando PD Master Sgt. Debra Clayton outside an Orlando Walmart store on Jan, 9
Sgt. Clayton was shot trying to stop the fugitive wanted for the Dec 13 shooting of his pregnant 24-year-old girlfriend, Sade Dixon
Orange County Deputy Norman Lewis also died in a car crash same day while searching for the fugitive
Career criminal Loyd has a list of prior brushes with the law including multiple convictions for first-degree battery, battery on a law enforcement officer, open carrying of weapons, and a earlier case of first-degree-murder dismissed when the witness refused to testify
Charged Wednesday with second-murder in death of Sgt. Clayton
Also faces murder charges in the death of Sade Dixon and her unborn child, attempted murder in the shooting of Sade’s brother Ronald Steward plus two counts of aggravated assault 
Suspected cop killer Markeith Loyd, is captured at an abandoned home, Tuesday night
A relieved Orlando PD tweeted “We’ve got him!,” Tuesday, ending more than a week of hunting the suspect after he allegedly fatally shot Sgt. Debra Clayton outside a local Walmart.
Shackled, Markeith Loyd in white regulation uniform is escorted out of the Orlando Police headquarters after his capture
Confronted by Sgt. Clayton, Loyd shot the officer in the parking lot after a shopper said he matched the description for the suspect in Sade Dixon’s December death, police said. The fugitive opened fire and Clayton died at a local hospital.
Later, Orange County Deputy Norman Lewis died in a car crash while searching for the fleeing suspect.
Rewards for information leading to Loyd’s capture escalated to $125,000 by Tuesday, and police said that they had received hundreds of tips.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Orlando Police Chief John Mina said he was captured by a SWAT team earlier that evening and placed in Clayton’s handcuffs.
He was charged in Dixon’s death early Wednesday. He faces murder, unlawful killing of an unborn child, attempted murder for allegedly wounding Dixon’s brother and two counts of aggravated assault, jail records show.
Deputy Norman Lewis of the Orange County Sheriff’s office [left] and Orlando Sgt. Debra Clayton who was shot by the fugitive lost their lives in the effort to apprehend Markeith Loyd
Orlando Police Chief John Mina (left), Police Commissioner Regina Hill, and Orange Sheriff Jerry Demings [right] confer during the press conference announcing the capture of Markeith Loyd, Tuesday
He faces a second murder charge in Clayton’s death.
Loyd bellowed, “They beat me up,” while cops paraded the nabbed suspect with a swollen and cut face in front of reporters, video shows.
Mina said at a press conference that Loyd received minor “facial injuries” after briefly resisting arrest, and that he had also attempted to flee at one point.
After the media briefing, Loyd, flanked by at least a dozen officers, was escorted out of police headquarters in a white jumpsuit with bandages on his swelling face.
Unlike before, he said nothing as reporters shouted out questions and police put him in the back of a cruiser. He was reportedly taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
The suspect now in custody is bundled into a police cruiser, Tuesday night
The police chief said that Loyd was arrested based off of “police work,” rather than a tip from someone looking to collect the reward.
He said that the fugitive was found in an abandoned house near Clayton’s mother’s home, along with his body armor, two handguns and a drum that can hold 100 bullets.
Sullen Markeith Loyd being transported to the Orlando Regional Medical Center
Last week, Loyd’s former coworker Zarghee Mayan told investigators said that Loyd was wearing a bulletproof vest when he saw him shortly after the girlfriend’s killing.
Mayan, Loyd’s ex-girlfriend and his niece were all arrested for allegedly helping him since the death of Dixon.
Markeith Loyd was primed and ready to engage law enforcement. Allegedly, he was found with body armor, two handguns and a 100-bullet drum
Police Chief Mina said he expects more arrests as investigators round-up those who asissted the suspect while he was in flight.
Separate funeral ceremonies services were held for Sgt Debra Clayton, and Deputy Norman Lewis over the weekend.
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