ORLANDO, Fla. – What began with the fatal shooting of a pregnant woman in Pine Hills nearly a month ago turned into an all-out manhunt for the man accused of killing her and an Orlando police officer.
The search for 41-year-old Markeith Loyd gripped the Central Florida community for more than nine days before the wanted man was arrested. Below is a look at the events that led to that search and what has unfolded since it began. Please note that some times are approximate.
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9:13 p.m., Dec. 13: Sade Dixon, a 24-year-old pregnant mother of two, opened the door to her parents' Pine Hills home to find Loyd, her ex-boyfriend, standing outside, police said. He opened fire, police said. Dixon is fatally shot and her 26-year-old brother, Ronald Steward, is wounded in the gunfire trying to protect his sister. Dixon's children, ages 2 and 8, were home at the time of the shooting. They were unharmed.
Afternoon, Dec. 14: Stephanie Dixon-Daniels and Ron Dixon held a press conference outside their Pine Hills home to beg the community for help in finding their daughter's killer. “We would like the killer, you know who you are – turn yourself in. Don't make them come get you,” Dixon-Daniels said. Orlando City Commissioner Regina Hill also attended the press conference.
5:15 p.m., Dec. 14: The Orange County Sheriff's Office named Loyd as a suspect in Dixon's murder and her brother's shooting. A news release listed Loyd as armed and dangerous.
5 p.m., Dec. 15: Loyd's criminal history starts to come to light. He was arrested on a murder charge in 1995, but that charge was later dropped because a witness lied about key information. In 1998, he's accused of battery on a law enforcement officer, for which he spends four years in jail.
7:17 a.m., Jan. 9: A civilian at Walmart at Princeton Street and John Young Parkway approached Orlando police Master Sgt. Debra Clayton, 42, and told her that Loyd is at the store. Clayton radioed in for backup and approached Loyd. A witness told News 6 that Loyd started shooting when Clayton yelled for him to stop running. Orlando Police Chief John Mina said additional officers arrived within 28 seconds, but by that time Clayton was already down and Loyd had left the scene. Shortly after, a deputy spots Loyd at North Lane and Pine Hills Drive. Loyd pulls into a nearby apartment complex and shoots the unmarked OCSO SUV twice, officials said. The deputy was not injured. Loyd then carjacked a vehicle and left before abandoning the vehicle near the intersection of Rosemont and Cinderlane Parkway.
7:19 a.m., Jan. 9: Officers at Walmart radioed in to say an officer was down and broadcasted a call for help. First responders perform CPR on Clayton and transport her to a local hospital.
7:40 a.m., Jan. 9: Clayton, 42, is pronounced dead at Orlando Regional Medical Center. Clayton was a 17-year veteran of the Orlando Police Department as well as a wife, mother and University of Central Florida alumna with a bachelor's degree in public administration and a master's degree in criminal justice.
9 a.m., Jan. 9: Seventeen Orange County schools are placed on lockdown.
9:36 a.m., Jan. 9: The Orlando Police Department names Loyd as the suspect in Clayton's death.
9:43 a.m., Jan. 9: A motorcycle deputy responding to the search for Loyd is fatally struck by a van on Pine Hills Road and Balboa Drive.
10:45 a.m., Jan. 9: City officials hold a news conference detailing the deaths of the two law enforcement officers and the search for Loyd. Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings calls the day one of the worst in his career. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer calls for a citywide day of mourning.
12:53 p.m., Jan. 9: The Crimeline award for information leading to Loyd's arrest is increased to up to $60,000. More information on how Crimeline works to collect tips is available here.
3 p.m., Jan. 9: OPD announces that it's focusing its search on Brookside Apartments, located at Rosewood Way and Cinderlane Parkway. Videos and pictures from the scene showed a heavy police presence and armed SWAT officers as officials searched the area.
3:20 p.m., Jan. 9: Lockdowns at several Orange County Public Schools are lifted.
5:09 p.m., Jan. 9: Officials identify Deputy First Class Norman Lewis as the deputy who was fatally struck while on his motorcycle attempting to aid in the search for Loyd. Lewis had been with the Orange County Sheriff's Office since 2005, before that he was a student at the UCF and played for the school's football team.
6 p.m., Jan. 9: The search at Brookside Apartments ends and residents are allowed back into their homes. Loyd was not found. The manhunt continues into the night.
10 p.m., Jan. 9: A GoFundMe page was created for Clayton's family. The goal was set at $10,000, but about 15 hours later more than $13,000 would be donated.
7:15 a.m., Jan. 10: Demings tells News 6 that officials are continuing to search for Loyd and follow tips. He said that while he does still believe Loyd is in the area, the search is not as concentrated as it was the day before at Brookside Apartments. He reiterated that Loyd will be found.
12 p.m., Jan. 10: Lake County Sheriff's Office helps OCSO and OPD search a home in Clermont, acting on a lead that Loyd could be inside. The homeowner consents to the search. Loyd was not found.
1:48 p.m., Jan. 10: The FBI Most Wanted Twitter account tweeted a photo of Loyd.
1:50 p.m., Jan. 10: Officials announce that Clayton's funeral will be held Saturday at 2 p.m.
2:30 p.m., Jan. 10: Demings announces that the Crimeline reward has been raised to $100K, the biggest reward Crimeline has ever received. Officials said they are working to get arrest warrants signed for the people they believe have been helping Loyd evade arrest for several weeks.
2:45 p.m., Jan. 10: More details on the funeral arrangements for Clayton and Lewis are announced. Lewis' will be 11 a.m. Friday at First Baptist Church in Orlando with a viewing Thursday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Clayton's will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church.
7 p.m., Jan. 10: Mourners gather for a vigil at the Walmart where Clayton was fatally shot. Community leaders at the event urged the public to step forward if they have any information that could help authorities arrest Loyd.
9:21 p.m., Jan. 10: Zarghee Mayan is booked into the Orange County Jail on a charge of accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. Officials said Mayan helped Loyd avoid arrest after Dixon's murder in December. He also told authorities that Loyd has been wearing a bulletproof vest.
12:39 p.m., Jan. 11: OCSO tweets a link to a GoFundMe page to benefit Lewis' family.
3 p.m., Jan. 11: Lakensha Smith-Loyd, Markeith Loyd's niece, is arrested on an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder charge for transporting $200 to her uncle after Dixon's murder, police said.
8:15 p.m., Jan. 11: A third person is arrested in connection with the search for Loyd. Officials identified the woman as Jameis Slaughter, one of Loyd's ex-girlfriends.
9:30 a.m., Jan. 12: Smith-Loyd and Slaughter appear before an Orange County judge. Slaughter's bond is set at $505,000 and Smith-Loyd's bond is set at $750,000. The prosecutor said in court that Smith-Loyd knows where her uncle Markeith Loyd is. "I think it's reasonable to assert that as she stands here today, she knows where he is and has not furnished that information," the prosecutor said.
3:30 p.m., Jan. 12: More than 100 places have been searched in the manhunt for Loyd, Orlando Police Chief John Mina said. Loyd's clothing was found near the crime scene were he allegedly shot and killed Sgt. Clayton. Police said Loyd was wearing a bulletproof vest when he shot Clayton and she returned fire. The vest may have saved his life, Mina said. Crimeline Executive Director says more than 800 tipsters have called in.
12:55 a.m., Jan. 13: The Orange County Sheriff's Office announces that the funeral for Lewis has been postponed until Sunday because of a family emergency.
8:10 a.m., Jan. 13: The search for Loyd expanded into Polk County, as authorities in Haines City issued an alert about the suspected cop killer. Haines City police said Loyd has family in the area and may be hiding in the city. Lakeland police and the Polk County Sheriff's Office also tweeted information about the search for Loyd, urging residents to call 911 and vowing to find Loyd if he's in the area.
2:45 p.m., Jan. 14: Orlando Police Chief John Mina posthumously promoted fallen Master Sgt. Debra Clayton to the rank of lieutenant during her funeral.
2:30 p.m., Jan. 15: Mourners gather for Deputy Norman Lewis' funeral, during which Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings posthumously awards him the agency Purple Heart.
3:30 p.m., Jan. 17: Mina releases a new digitally altered photo of Loyd after receiving tips that he may have shaved his head. Loyd is added to the U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted list.
7:30 p.m., Jan. 17: Loyd is caught and arrested, according to Orlando police, ending a nine-day hunt for the wanted man.