Markeith Loyd 3 inches from Lt. Clayton before fatal shot, witness says in new documents

ORLANDO, Fla. — A batch of new evidence was released Thursday in the case against accused police killer Markeith Loyd.

In the hundreds of pages, several witness accounts outlined the moment Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton was killed.

Witness Accounts

Loyd was being sought in the shooting death of his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon, when investigators said he killed Clayton as she approached him in a Walmart parking lot in January.

One man said after Loyd allegedly shot Clayton, Loyd calmly walked back to his car.

The man was sitting in his truck when heard the gunfire, and when he looked up, he said he saw Loyd standing over Clayton, who had already been shot at that point.

The witness said Loyd was about three inches away from Clayton when he allegedly fired the shot that killed her.

After that, the witness said Loyd calmly walked back to his black sedan, “just as if he was grocery shopping.”

The Carjacking

Within minutes of the shooting, Loyd allegedly carjacked a man who told police he was getting his wife from work.

The victim said that Loyd came around the corner of a building with a gun, pointed it at him and demanded he hand over his keys.

He said Loyd had one gun in his hand and a clip of ammo in the other.

The Phone Call

The documents also said that Jameis Slaughter, Loyd's ex-girlfriend, was the first person he called after the shooting.

The call went unanswered, but by 5 p.m. that afternoon, officers stopped Slaughter in a car that is registered to Loyd.

Inside, were clothes that police said Loyd was wearing when Clayton was shot.

Jameis was taken in to be interviewed and admitted she talked to Loyd two days earlier.

The documents said Loyd texted Slaughter and said, “Tell me why these tears are rolling down my eyes. This world gonna lose a good man and stuff like that.”

He then later called her and said, “I’m innocent, but I ain’t innocent.”

She told police she was helping Loyd out, but hasn’t seen him in months.

The Arrest

Loyd was captured days later at an abandoned home.

The discovery contains 13 pages of statements from Orlando police that describe the night Loyd was arrested.

Four officers reported that Loyd appeared to throw two guns outside of the home before he crawled outside.

An officer who kicked, punched and hit Loyd with his rifle said as police tried to subdue Loyd, an officers’ rifle was hanging by Loyd’s left hand.

The officer said Loyd, "appeared to notice this and started moving his left hand towards it. In order to prevent this, I delivered three closed fist strikes to Loyd's neck and shoulder area."

At first, the officer didn't record the fact that he hit Loyd with his gun, thinking it didn't hit him.

But after seeing the pictures of Loyd's injuries, the officer said, "the picture indicates my rifle scrapped his cheek before hitting the ground."

Another officer who kicked and hit Loyd with a gun said he did so because he believed Loyd was, "ready to fight, and/or grab a weapon from his waistband area."

A 26-year veteran of the department said he had to punch and hit Loyd with his gun because he believed his life, "as well as the lives of others were in imminent danger of being killed or seriously injured."

Cox Media Group