ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on the fatal shooting of an Orlando police officer (all times local):
3:30 p.m.
Authorities have arrested the niece of a fugitive wanted in two killings, including the shooting of an Orlando police officer.
Online court records show that 27-year-old Lakensha Smith-Loyd was arrested on a charge of accessory Wednesday, a day after the fugitive’s supervisor at a fried chicken restaurant was arrested on a similar charge.
Smith-Loyd’s uncle, 41-year-old Markeith Loyd, is the focus of an intense manhunt that began Monday, when he allegedly shot Master Sgt. Debra Clayton as she approached him outside a Wal-Mart.
Loyd had been wanted previously for the slaying of his pregnant ex-girlfriend in mid-December.
An arrest affidavit for Loyd’s supervisor, Zarghee Mayan, says that Smith-Loyd collected money from Mayan on behalf of her uncle just days after the slaying of the ex-girlfriend.
12:15 p.m.
Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies have arrested a man they say helped a fugitive now sought in two murders, including the fatal shooting of an Orlando police officer.
Zarghee Mayan faces a charge of accessory after the fact for allegedly helping 41-year-old Markeith Lloyd, his former co-worker at a fried chicken restaurant, by driving him around, giving him food and offering him money.
The affidavit prepared for Tuesday night’s arrest says Mayan met with Loyd at least two times after the slaying of Loyd’s pregnant girlfriend in mid-December.
Loyd remains the focus of an intense manhunt that began Monday, when he allegedly shot Master Sgt. Debra Clayton in a Wal-Mart parking lot.
Deputies say Mayan has told conflicting stories, but at one point said that he met with Loyd two days before Clayton exchanged gunfire with the suspect. The affidavit says Mayan said he hugged Loyd on Saturday and could tell he was armed and wearing a bulletproof vest.
11:25 a.m.
Hundreds of deputies and officers in Florida are searching for a suspect wanted in the fatal shooting of an Orlando police officer, but authorities say a jumping off point for his capture may come from a call center staffed by five workers.
Authorities in Orlando are hoping tips from the public into a Crimeline call center can help lead to 41-year-old Markeith Loyd, the focus of a manhunt that entered its third day on Wednesday.
Barb Bergin, Crimeline’s executive director, says the $100,000 being offered as a reward for a tip that leads to Loyd’s arrest is unprecedented for the local Crimeline.
Authorities believe tips may be especially important in locating Loyd since they believe others are helping him hide. Bergin says all tips are being followed up.
Master Sgt. Debra Clayton was fatally shot Monday morning after she approached Loyd in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart store.
Police Chief John Mina says federal, state and local authorities are taking part in the manhunt.
Mina isn’t giving any details about search tactics but he says law enforcement agencies in Florida and around the nation are on alert for Loyd.
3:20 a.m.
A suspect who’s the focus of a manhunt following the fatal shooting of an Orlando police officer has a lengthy criminal record dating back two decades.
Authorities on Wednesday were starting a third day of the manhunt for 41-year-old Markeith Loyd, who had been wanted in the weeks leading up to the sergeant’s killing for questioning in the slaying of his pregnant ex-girlfriend.
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said Tuesday that deputies came close to catching Loyd but he had eluded them, and arrest warrants were being prepared for people who likely helped him.
Authorities raised the reward for information leading to his arrest from $60,000 to $100,000.
Master Sgt. Debra Clayton was fatally shot Monday morning after she approached Loyd in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart store in northwest Orlando.
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