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Fugitive Wanted In Fatal Shooting Of Orlando Police Sgt. Caught

ORLANDO (CBSNewYork/CBS News/AP) -- Police say a man wanted in the fatal shootings of his pregnant ex-girlfriend and an Orlando police sergeant has been captured.

41-year-old Markeith Loyd had been the focus of a weeklong manhunt after Master Sgt. Debra Clayton was killed in a Wal-Mart parking lot last Monday.

He was wearing body armor and had two handguns in his possession when he was apprehended Tuesday, according to police.

Loyd was placed in Clayton's handcuffs when he was arrested, Orlando Police Chief John Mina said in a press conference Tuesday night.

"It's a tradition in law enforcement that goes back many many years," he said in a press conference Tuesday night. "Debra Clayton risked her life for this community that she loved so dearly, and to put her handcuffs on the bad guy that she was trying to catch when she was killed is just significant."

Police previously said said Clayton was approached last Monday morning at around 7 a.m. by a person who recognized Loyd, a man suspected of killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend in December. The witness pointed Clayton toward Loyd, and the sergeant called dispatch to announce she was approaching the suspect. Moments later, a man believed to be Loyd shot Clayton multiple times. She died soon after.

A deputy then spotted Loyd fleeing in a vehicle and pursued him into a nearby apartment complex, where the suspect fired again, striking the deputy's SUV twice but missing the deputy, the sheriff's office said.

Loyd then carjacked another vehicle and fled, abandoning the second vehicle nearby another apartment complex, which was the focus of the manhunt initially, the sheriff's office said.

A second law enforcement officer, Orange County Sheriff's Deputy First Class Norman Lewis, was killed in a motorcycle crash after joining the massive manhunt.

Before the Jan. 9 shooting, authorities had been looking for Loyd for questioning in the death of his pregnant ex-girlfriend last month.

Hundreds of officers and deputies have been searching for Loyd, and a $100,000 reward was being offered for information that leads to his arrest.

The U.S. Marshals Service had added Loyd to its list of most wanted fugitives Tuesday and added $25,000 to the reward offer.

Clayton, 42, was a "committed" officer and "a hero" who gave her life to the community she loves, her chief said. She was married and had a college-aged son. She also grew up in the Orlando area, and enjoyed mentoring young people.

"She was always the first to step up and help kids," the chief said.

A 17-year veteran of the force, Clayton supervised a patrol division in the neighborhood where she was shot, and previously worked in investigations and as a school resource officer, Deputy Chief Orlando Rolon said.

"She made a point, even outside her working hours, to do things for youth and do things for the community," Rolon said.

(TM and © Copyright 2017 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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