As Orlando Master Sgt. Debra Clayton lay wounded on the ground, her accused killer, Markeith Loyd, walked up to her and shot her dead.
Sgt. Clayton got off several rounds, hitting Lloyd with at least one bullet. But the cop killer was wearing a bullet-proof vest and managed to escape capture.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers are engaged in an intense manhunt to capture Lloyd as other details about his life emerged.
On Wednesday, detectives arrested two people accused of helping Loyd avoid arrest before Clayton was killed.
He had been wanted since Dec. 13 when investigators accused him of killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend 24-year-old Sade Dixon.
Loyd’s niece Lakensha Smith-Loyd, and his ex-girlfriend Jameis Slaughter are each facing a charge of accessory to first-degree murder, records show. Detectives also arrested his former employer Zarghee Mayan on Tuesday on similar charges.
Smith-Loyd and Slaughter appeared this morning before a judge, who set bond amounts for both.
Prosecutors argued that Smith-Loyd’s case was the more egregious of the two and asked for a $1 million bond, saying she is a flight risk who might know where Loyd is currently hiding.
She is accused of trying to pickup money for her uncle, records show.
Smith-Loyd’s lawyer argued for a substantially lower amount and said her family was watching the hearing and could support her.
The judge ultimately decided Smith-Loyd be held on $750,000 bail and told the lawyer she is “really concerned about the nature of this crime.”
Slaughter, who prosecutors claimed was in “constant” contact with Loyd after Dixon’s death, was appointed a public defender during her appearance and ordered held on $505,000 bail. Prosecutors also said Slaughter drove to the Wal-Mart and circled the parking lot not long after Clayton was killed.
Both women were told to let the court know about any electronics, cell phone numbers or email address they use if they’re released. Neither can have contact with Loyd or anyone connected to the case, including Mayan.
A judge on Wednesday ordered Mayan, who allegedly saw Loyd wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying a pistol just two days before Clayton was killed, be held without bail.
Lloyd broadcast a chilling Facebook live post on November 4 in which he and his girlfriend joked about killing a cop while stopped for a traffic violation:
“Go ahead and kill him, babe, so we can get home faster,” Dixon said, apparently joking about the officer.
Then we ain’t never going home,” he fired back.
The 24-year-old woman answered with a chilling remark:
“You not about to kill me and the baby,” she said in a playful tone, referring to his speeding. “I’m not gonna make it to 25.”
A little more than a month later, investigators say, he killed Dixon and their unborn child at her Orange County home. Then on Monday morning, police said, he killed a cop.
Another Facebook posting was also revealing:
Written posts on his page discuss politics and the U.S. presidential race.
“Obama didn’t even speak for innocent blacks as we were gunned down in the streets,” the post says. “He haven’t [sic] done nothing for us, not even raise his voice.”
Another post the day before the election questioned why black people should support Hillary Clinton.
“Ya’ll just silly as you sound, Obama didn’t do nothing for you but give you an Obama phone,” the post opines.
It appears that Lloyd executed Sgt. Clayton and it is possible the recent controversies between police and blacks may have had something to do with it.
Another law enforcement officer was killed in Orlando when a deputy sheriff, Norman Lewis, was killed in a vehicle accident during the manhunt.
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