Slain Orlando officer responded to Pulse nightclub massacre

Orlando Police Master Sgt. Debra Clayton was gunned down in the line of duty on Jan. 9, 2017. (Orlando Police Dept.) (Copyright by WSLS - All rights reserved)

Heather Pelat, Media General – ORLANDO, Fla. (MEDIA GENERAL/AP) -- The Orlando police sergeant who was shot and killed this week was one of the first responders to last summer's mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in the city.

Recommended Videos



The Orlando Police Department said Tuesday Master Sgt. Debra Clayton was among the officers who responded to Pulse nightclub as shots rang out during the early morning hours of June 12, 2016.

Forty-nine people at the club were killed by gunman Omar Mateen in what is now the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

On Monday, Clayton was gunned down outside a Walmart as she approached a suspect who was wanted for questioning in the murder of his pregnant girlfriend last December.

Suspect Markeith Loyd fled the scene, and a $100,000 reward is now being offered for information leading to his arrest.

Loyd, 41, has a criminal record that dates back two decades, including a murder charge in 1996 that was later dropped and battery on an officer in 1998.

Records show he was released from prison in July 2014.

Clayton, a 17-year veteran of the Orlando Police Department, leaves behind a husband and a son.

A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money to help her family.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.