An Orlando police sergeant who was gunned down by a wanted fugitive was being remembered Saturday at her funeral service for mentoring youth and her dedication to the community she grew up in.
Hundreds of officers, deputies and central Florida residents are gathering at the First Baptist Church in Orlando to honor Master Sgt. Debra Clayton, who authorities say was gunned down Monday by a fugitive who had been wanted for the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend.
Authorities say Clayton, 42, was gunned down outside a Wal-Mart store in Orlando last Monday after she approached 41-year-old Markeith Loyd.
Hundreds of officers and deputies have been searching for him since Monday, and a $100,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to his arrest.
Clayton had worked for the Orlando Police Department for 17 years, most recently as a supervisor for a patrol division in the neighborhood where she was shot. She previously had worked in investigations and as a school resource officer.
The master sergeant was one of the officers who responded to the shooting at Pulse nightclub in which 49 patrons were killed. Last June's massacre in Orlando was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
She was married and has a college-aged son.
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Clayton was remembered most for her community activities, especially when it came to youth programs. She participated in rowing competitions with teenagers and was active in an Urban League anti-violence task force.
