Lieutenant Debra Lucinda Clayton

Debra Lucinda Clayton

Lieutenant Debra Clayton was shot and killed when she encountered a wanted murder suspect in the parking lot of a Walmart at the intersection of Princeton Street and John Young Parkway.

A citizen approached Lieutenant Clayton in the parking lot and informed her that a wanted subject was inside the store. As she walked towards the building the man exited and opened fire on her, striking her multiple times.

The subject was wanted for murdering his pregnant ex-girlfriend and for shooting her brother one month prior. After shooting Lieutenant Clayton, the man carjacked a vehicle and fled the scene. A captain from the Orange County Sheriff's Office spotted the vehicle moments later and was shot at as he got behind it. The subject was captured on January 17th, 2017. The man was convicted of first-degree murder in November 2021 and was subsequently sentenced to death in March 2022.

During the ensuing search Deputy First Class Norman Lewis, of the Orange County Sheriff's Office, was killed in a motorcycle crash at the intersection of Pine Hills Road and Balboa Drive when another vehicle turned in front of his motorcycle.

Lieutenant Clayton had served with the Orlando Police Department for 17 years. She is survived by her husband and son.

She was posthumously promoted from the rank of Master Sergeant to the rank of Lieutenant.