Reward raised for the capture of suspect in killing of officer
ORLANDO — Au t h o r i t i e s r a i s e d t o $ 1 0 0, 0 0 0 t h e reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect in the fatal shooting of an Orlando police sergeant Tuesday as he eluded hundreds of officers on the second day of a massive manhunt.
Authorities advised that arrest warrants were being prepared for people who may have helped 41-yearold Markeith Loyd evade deputies in the past month as they searched for him for questioning in the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend in December.
Master Sgt. Debra Clayton was fatally shot Mond a y m o r n i n g a f t e r s h e a pproac hed L oyd i n t he parking lot of a Wal-Mart store in northwest Orlando.
Many of her colleagues i mmedi a t e l y j o i n e d t h e pursuit; among them was a sheriff ’s deputy who died when he was thrown from his motorcycle in an accident.
M o r e t h a n 3 0 0 t i p s from the public have been re c e ive d, s a i d Bar b B e rgin, executive director of Crimeline, the tip-line ser- vice which is offering the reward, originally set for $60,000.
“We have never burned or harmed a tipster. They are kept anonymous,” Bergin said in a plea for more tips. “We will not identify you. We just need to know where he is so no one else is hurt.”
Orange County sheriff ’s deputies in metro Orlando had been looking for Loyd since his ex-girlfriend was murdered last December.
“Certainly it’s upsetting he was out and about and killed Debra Clayton, our first homicide in the city of Orlando this year, one of the officers protecting our community,” said Mina.
Orlando police confirmed that Clayton was one of the o f f i c e r s who re s p o n d e d in June to the shooting at Pulse nightclub in which 49 patrons were killed.