Markeith Loyd, 41, is armed and dangerous, according to reports. A Florida fugitive and felon, Loyd is a suspect in the December murder of his pregnant girlfriend, Sade Dixon, 24. She was shot at the front door of her home located in West Orange County on Dec. 3, 2016. Her brother Ronald Steward, 26, was also wounded in the December gun attack.
On Nov. 30, Loyd wrote on his Facebook page, “Goals!!!! To be on Americas most wanted.”
He’s achieved that sordid goal. Hundreds of law enforcement officers scoured Orlando overnight looking for the madman.
On Monday, Jan. 9, 2017, Loyd opened fire on Orlando Master Sgt. Debra Clayton just after 7 a.m. after she recognized him as a wanted murder suspect. She confronted him, yelled for him to “stop.” Instead, he opened fire. She returned fire but missed.
Clayton was on duty, in uniform and wearing body armor when she started chasing Loyd. Backup officers who arrived 28 seconds later tried to save Clayton with CPR, according to the city, but she was pronounced dead at 7:40 a.m. at Orlando Regional Medical Center.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office reported he fired at a deputy, who was not injured, and carjacked a vehicle before running off.
A second law enforcement officer, deputy Norman Lewis, 35, an 11-year Sheriff’s Office veteran and former football player at the University of Central Florida, was killed 2.5 hours after the shooting.
He was responding to the call, traveling on his motorcycle when he was struck by a van, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
A reward of up to $60K was offered for information on the suspect’s location, and the manhunt, featuring a SWAT team, focused on an apartment complex.
