Saturday, January 14, 2017

Iraq Veteran With PTSD Healed By Amputee Kitten

How an amputee cat helped a San Diego veteran heal herself
San Diego Union Tribune
Karla Peterson
January 14, 2016
The story of Sophia the Bionic Cat is a tech-geek’s fantasy and a survival saga. It is an inspirational pep talk and a made-for-TV movie just waiting to happen.

It is also a children’s book, which local author Karolyn Smith will be reading at 2 p.m. Saturday at the downtown San Diego Central Library. But more than anything, it is a love story. Combat-scarred veteran meets an abandoned disabled kitten on Facebook and life-changing magic ensues.

“I was in such a bad place. I remember thinking, ‘How am I going to get out of this?’” Smith said, remembering the day she happened upon the tiny calico kitten and her slightly bigger companion kitty on the San Diego Humane Society’s Facebook page.
“And then I saw that face, and I just felt something. And when you don’t usually feel much and you finally feel something, you kind of have to act on that.”
read more here

Body of Missing Veteran Lance James Recovered From Lake

Body of Missing Former Marine from South Jersey Found in Clementon Lake
NBC 10 News
By Brian X. McCrone
January 13, 2017
Lance James disappeared in early December. He went missing after leaving a Camden County bar. His body was found Friday, Jan. 13, 2017, authorities said.
A former Marine who disappeared Dec. 2 after a confrontation at a local bar in Camden County was found in a nearby lake, authorities said Saturday.

Lance James, 29, disappeared on Dec. 2 following an altercation at Hide-A-Way Tavern in Clementon. Family and friends searched with the help of state police the week before Christmas, but his body was not found in three nearby lakes and a wooded area.

The Camden County Prosecutor's Office announced that James's body was found Friday during a search of Bottom Lake. The prosecutor's office said the cause of death was not yet determined, but there were no signs of trauma.

The bar, Hide-A-Way, was less than a mile from James' apartment.
read more here

Miami Dade Veterans Court Helping Veterans Bypass Bars

New veterans court opens in Miami Dade
Miami Herald
David Ovalle
January 13, 2017
“This program will help a lot of other veterans, I was just one of the first,” said Lovette, who is now sober and studying engineering at Miami Dade College.
Presentation of the colors by a joint honor guard from Southenn Command during opening ceremony for Miami's new veteran court at the Miami Dade criminal court on Friday, January 13, 2017
Robert Koltun

Former U.S. Army soldier Elliot Lovette can trace his mental breakdowns — years of flashbacks, panic attacks and hallucinations — to the day a roadside bomb in 2004 ripped apart his Humvee during a patrol in Iraq.

Struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and drugs eventually landed him in a Miami jail, charged with fighting a police officer during a breakdown in October 2015.

But Lovette got back on track when he entered a fledgling program designed to help Miami-Dade’s large veteran population, hooking them up with specialized treatment, substance abuse rehab and even mentoring from fellow former members of the military.

Earlier this month, Miami-Dade prosecutors officially dropped the charges against the 35-year-old after he completed the yearlong program.

On Friday, Lovette celebrated the occasion on a grander stage, joined by judges, lawyers, mental-health professionals and the head of Miami’s Veterans Affairs healthcare office as they officially marked the formal creation of a Miami-Dade veterans court.
read more here

Connecting Warriors and Healers Nothing New

Great idea but far from new. That is why the Nam Knights did it back in 1989.
In the summer of 1989 a small group of Harley-riding combat vets of the Viet Nam War, who were also police officers, banded together to form the Nam Knights.

The Club was founded in New Jersey by Jack Quigley, now retired Undersheriff of The Bergen County Sheriff's Department. Jack served as a platoon sergeant with the 11th Motor Transport Battalion, First Marine Division.
As Jack has said: "The club was formed to recapture the brotherhood its founding members shared while serving in Southeast Asia, and to help other veterans of all wars who are unable to physically or financially help themselves."
Armor Down looks to connect "warriors" and "healers" through The Honor Brigade
Pentagram
By Hannah Troyer Editor
January 13, 2017
Hannah Troyer
At an Armor Down event January 10, a display for meditation and a moment of mindfulness featuring the battlefield cross was available for attendees to use
Memorial Day may not be for months, but Armor Down Founder and Iraq War Army veteran, Ben King, is hard at work to grow his organization and its purpose. King, along with 100 other people, gathered at the Mazza Gallerie in Washington, D.C. Jan 10 to create a new connection – a new community of what he calls “warriors and healers.”

The group came together to watch a screening of “Thank You for Your Service,” a gut-wrenching documentary by Tom Donahue that discusses the failed military mental health policies and their consequences. The documentary follows four Iraq War veterans as they face a new war within themselves and figure out ways to heal.

The mental health crisis facing the military is nothing new, but King believes there is a new way to approach it. By uniting the “warrior” community – active duty military members, first responders, veterans and their family members with the “healer” community – yoga therapists, mindfulness practitioners and friends, King believes a new conversation and form of healing can begin.

“We know warriors recognize the value of honoring the fallen and then there is the healer community and this mindfulness community, and we know they value honoring the fallen,” King said. “So, we figured why not create a conversation around honoring the fallen that both of these communities can totally get behind and feel authentic about. We just needed something to start the conversation and Tom Donahue’s film came up on my radar, and we started there.”
read more here

Quiet Hero Shielded Stranger During Fort Lauderdale Shooting

Airport shooting survivor shielded stranger from gunfire
USA TODAY NETWORK
January 13, 2017

NAPLES, Fla. — Tony Bartosiewicz called his children to let them know he was alive shortly after gunshots were fired at the baggage claim area of Terminal 2 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport last week.
Tony Bartosiewicz, left, with his grandchild and daughter, Jenny Miller. Bartosiewicz was in the baggage claim area of Terminal 2 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport when gunshots rang out. The man used his body to shield a Annika Dean, a Broward County teacher.
(Photo: Submitted Photo)
What he didn’t tell them was that during the shooting, he used his body to shield a woman he didn’t know.

Annika Dean, the Broward County woman Bartosiewicz shielded, sent his son a message on Facebook to say how grateful she was for what Bartosiewicz did.

Jenny Miller, Bartosiewicz’s daughter, tried to call her dad to ask him whether it was true, but he didn’t return her calls. Bartosiewicz, of Rochester, N.Y., had flown into the Fort Lauderdale airport to take a cruise with his wife, Jennifer Cleeton. The couple wanted to go home but decided to get on the ship Friday evening.

“We didn’t find out until my niece texted him to ask, ‘Papa, did you land on someone and save their life?’”

Miller, who lives in Denver, said. “He wrote back, ‘Yes I did.’”
read more here

Canada: Beyond Trauma Documentary on PTSD

Yes, there are more civilians with PTSD than veterans, but there are also more civilians than veterans. Percentages are a different story. Plus you would also have to consider the difference between "civilian PTSD" which comes with surviving trauma, and occupational PTSD, which comes from putting your life on the line on a daily basis, topping off all the other causes that can include you in the group.
Illuminating Canadian documentary puts spotlight on PTSD
MONTREAL GAZETTE
BILL BROWNSTEIN
Published on: January 13, 2017

Nary a day goes by without hearing a story about someone suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its tragic consequences. Too often, the public hears the story of a traumatized soldier returning home and unable to come to terms with the horrors witnessed in war thousands of miles away.
Just last week, Canadian veteran, retired corporal Lionel Desmond, 33, still shaken by a tour in Afghanistan, is alleged to have shot and killed himself, his wife, their 10-year-old daughter and his mother at their family home in Nova Scotia.

On that note, the timing of the world broadcast première of PTSD: Beyond Trauma, Thursday at 8 p.m. on CBC’s Nature of Things, couldn’t be more auspicious. The sad reality, however, is that PTSD has been around for far too long and is becoming ever more prevalent.

Among this documentary’s fascinating findings are that PTSD affects more civilians than soldiers. The doc also notes the disorder affects twice as many women as men. Written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Patrick Reed (also the producer of Shake Hands With the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire), PTSD: Beyond Trauma makes for disturbing yet most compelling viewing.

One of the subjects Reed came into contact with while filming last year was Steve O’Brien. As it turns out, the soldier was based at the same New Brunswick outpost as Desmond, but didn’t know him personally. Ironically, while O’Brien had done several tours overseas, his PTSD is actually the result of dealing with an air crash in the Arctic that left seven people dead, including a young child whom he had uncovered.
read more here

Friday, January 13, 2017

Fort Hood Soldier Found Dead

Fort Hood Officials ID Soldier Found Dead At His Place Of Duty
Patch.com
By Tony Cantu (Patch Staff)
January 12, 2017

FORT HOOD, TX — Officials at Fort Hood on Thursday released the name of a soldier found unresponsive on Wednesday.
Sgt. Alex Matthew Dean Taylor, 23, of Texas City, Texas, was found dead at his place of duty on Jan. 11. He entered active duty military service in March 2012 as an aviation operations specialist, according to Fort Hood officials in a press release. He was later assigned to the 15th Military Intelligence Battalion at Fort Hood in July 2016.

The soldier's decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Aviation Badge, Air Assault Badge and Army Service Ribbon.
read more here

Shame Missing on Veterans Committing Suicide

Veterans continue to kill themselves. There is a lot of shame in that but not in them. It is ours to carry!

It is time to stop the bullshit, stop talking, stop writing, stop walking, pushing up, fundraising and getting publicity for what you want to do because we are only making matters worse for the veterans and families we claim we want to help. For Heaven's Sake! They still think having PTSD is something to be ashamed of!

Shame on Congress!
In 1999, when no one was talking about veterans committing suicide other than veterans and families, this chart shows there were 20 a day taking their own lives. There were over 5 million more veterans in the country. Thus, while the number of reported suicides has remained consistent, the number of veterans has been greatly reduced.


Why? For over a decade of bills being written, and funded, the result has been a higher percentage of veterans have been taking their own lives, not less. In 2007 the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act was signed into law. Ever since then, there has been an endless series of politicians writing the same bills, repeating what has failed.
Shame on Veterans Groups!
In 1978 the DAV produced a study on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The title was The Forgotten Warrior Project. This is the pamphlet they were handing out. I got a copy of it in 1993 and received a lot of comfort knowing it was not just happening to my family.
I love all these groups and belong to some of them, as I have for most of my life. Yet, as the DAV, VFW and American Legion groups complain about the lack of younger veterans joining, they have done far too little to remember what it was like when they came home. Seems there is far too much unawareness on PTSD. 
Why? Families are still searching for support and information, yet, these groups sit back and let regular folks make claims to the press about what they are doing. They allow the press to keep making the public believe that the suicides are happening only to younger veterans, while the majority of veterans committing suicide are over the age of 50. They allow Congress to continue to write bills that do not work and waste precious time instead of taking the time to know what they are dealing with before they rush to do anything that makes them feel good but leaves veterans behind. Put together groups and open it up to non-members. Prove they do matter that much to you and then maybe you'll get them to join. As long as that is not your goal and you prove you do care, any help you give them will be appreciated and will actually make a difference.
Shame on Reporters!
Why? You continue to give publicity to people doing pushups while veterans get pushed away from families and friends because they have been living under the assumption there is no hope for them. You jump on what is easy to report on, like repeating a number in a report without reading the report itself, thus perpetuating a headline as if it was correct instead of discovering what the facts really were.
Have any of you actually tried to figure out how taking a walk, doing pushups or having a group run benefits anyone other than the participants? It doesn't help veterans stay alive after surviving combat. I still wonder if any of you take this seriously enough to have noticed that fact? They did everything humanly possible to survive combat but lost hope here? How about you actually go out and interview folks about what worked for them? How about you spend some time in support groups, hearing their stories with open minds and then doing your own research about what they were talking about?

Shame on All of Us! 
 Why? If you are a family member and you decided that you were going to become the answer to save other families from going through the same anguish, great. Not so much if you only have experience in that anguish but have taken no time at all to understand what you are dealing with. If you do not want to invest the time and wait until you actually understand it, don't make it worse for the people you want to help. You are qualified to start a support group for others just like you and that is very much needed. Otherwise, remember, you are heartbreakingly an expert on what failed. Think about what would have helped you help your veteran and then learn all you can about it. It is only by becoming aware of all that comes with PTSD, the different causes, levels and types, that you will be able to begin to put together a team to respond appropriately.
You will encounter veterans in crisis and you need to know what to do, how to talk to them, and above all, who you can call to get them help as soon as possible. You need to know the difference between calling the Crisis Line, 911 and if you should ask for police or the fire department to respond, or when all you need to do is listen.   
You also need to know that once you lose a veteran you were trying to help, no matter how much you knew ahead of time, you do not recover from it.
No matter how many veterans I help, the one I lost over a decade ago is a loss I have never gotten over. My husband's nephew committed suicide because for all I knew, all the research, I did not figure out how to get him to listen. 
 

Camp Lejeune Marine Families Finally Getting Some Justice

VA News Release
VA's Rule Establishes a Presumption of Service Connection for Diseases Associated with Exposure to Contaminants in the Water Supply at Camp Lejeune
01/13/2017

VA’s Rule Establishes a Presumption of Service Connection for Diseases Associated with Exposure to Contaminants in the Water Supply at Camp Lejeune

VA to provide disability benefits for related diseases

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has published regulations to establish presumptions for the service connection of eight diseases associated with exposure to contaminants in the water supply at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

The presumption of service connection applies to active duty, reserve and National Guard members who served at Camp Lejeune for a minimum of 30 days (cumulative) between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987, and are diagnosed with any of the following conditions:
• adult leukemia

• aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes

• bladder cancer

• kidney cancer

• liver cancer

• multiple myeloma

• non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

• Parkinson’s disease

“We have a responsibility to take care of those who have served our Nation and have been exposed to harm as a result of that service,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald. “Establishing a presumption for service at Camp Lejeune will make it easier for those Veterans to receive the care and benefits they earned.”

Environmental health experts in VA’s Technical Workgroup conducted comprehensive reviews of scientific evidence, which included analysis and research done by the Department of Health and Human Service’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), the Environmental Protection Agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the National Toxicology Program, and the National Academies of Science.

Veterans with 30 or more cumulative days of active duty service, at Camp Lejeune during the contamination period are already eligible for certain medical benefits, following passage of the Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012.

In the early 1980s, volatile organic compounds, trichloroethylene (TCE), a metal degreaser, and perchloroethylene (PCE), a dry cleaning agent, as well as benzene and vinyl chloride, were discovered in two on-base water supply systems at Camp Lejeune. The contaminated wells supplying the water systems were shut down in February 1985.

The area included in this presumption is all of Camp Lejeune and MCAS New River, including satellite camps and housing areas.

The rule will be effective either 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, or following conclusion of the 60-day Congressional Review, whichever is later.

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Texas National Guard Soldier Saves Blind Man

Texas Guard Soldier saves life of blind man struck by car
Texas Army National Guard
By Sgt. Elizabeth Pena
January 12, 2017

TYLER, Texas -- Disaster can strike at any time. Citizen-Soldiers of the Texas Army National Guard are taught to always be prepared.
Texas Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Aaron Dias, recruiting and retention officer for the Recruiting and Retention Battalion, Region II, Team VII in Tyler, was driving back from the Military Entrance Processing Station in Shreveport, Louisiana, to his armory in Tyler with his recruit when disaster struck.

"The sun was starting to set," said Dias."It was to that point where you run into the sun it kind of casts a glare on you."

Hiwatha Hudson, a legally blind 55-year-old man, had just stepped off to cross the street with his cane.
read more here

U.S. soldier committed suicide at Kuwait's Camp Arifjan

Reports: U.S. soldier committed suicide at Kuwait's Camp Arifjan 
Military Times 
By: Staff 
January 12, 2017 

A soldier assigned to U.S. Army Central died in a noncombat-related incident at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Thursday in Kuwait, according to an official Army statement.
Multiple regional media outlets have cited a report from Kuwait's Interior Ministry claiming the soldier died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. read more here

New Hampshire Veteran Overwhelmed by Community

After article, contractors step up to help disabled Raymond veteran with home addition
Union Leader
By JASON SCHREIBER
Correspondent
January 11, 2017
Beauregard was unable to find a contractor willing to commit to the project, which has to be approved by the VA, but he’s been flooded with responses since the story was published.
Veteran Mike Beauregard uses his electric wheelchair in his Raymond home.  
(Jason Schreiber/Correspondent)
Disabled vet has VA cash, but no contractor for accessibility addition

RAYMOND — Disabled Army veteran Mike Beauregard is more optimistic than ever that he’ll be able to find the right contractor to get the home addition he needs as he struggles with multiple sclerosis.

“I have a feeling it’s going to happen,” he said Wednesday as he continued to return phone calls and reply to emails about the project he’s been trying to get done for years.

The 51-year-old Beauregard has been overwhelmed by the response to a story published Jan. 5 in the New Hampshire Union Leader in which he detailed the trouble he’s had trying to hire a contractor to build a handicapped-accessible first-floor master bedroom and bathroom through a $73,768 grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ specially adapted housing program.
read more here

Combat PTSD Wounded Times Broke 3 Million Hits!

To the National News, this should be a lesson to all of you. With no advertising, no budget, no paycheck, or publicity beyond word of mouth, this site dedicated to veterans has managed to break 3 million hits!
There was a time when most of the stories on this site were on the National News stations but someone decided that reporting on politicians running for the Office of Commander-in-Chief was worth two years of non-stop coverage. That Tweets warranted mass-frenzied breaking news and Facebook shares dictated what was shared. 

Well it seems that reporters, all over the country still valued good reporting and cared enough to cover the veterans readers discover here everyday. Within the over 27,000 posts on this site are examples of reporters doing their jobs and being held accountable when they fail our veterans.

Readers get the truth and not some haphazardly shoved words strung together to repeat what someone claimed, but actually did the work to find out what the truth is.

Isn't it time National News reporters actually returned to being reporters and not social media stalkers?

TO READERS

THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME KNOW ALL THIS WORK DOES MATTER TO YOU. 

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Florida National Guard's First Female 12B NCO Combat Engineer

Florida National Guard's First Female 12B NCO Combat Engineer

CAMP BLANDING, FL, UNITED STATES
01.07.2017
Story by Sgt. Christopher Vann
107th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

CAMP BLANDING, Fla. - Braving the January wintry conditions and hectic pace, a Soldier from the Florida National Guard’s 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team led the charge in a new wave of females into what has historically been an all-male combat arms environment. That Soldier was Army Sgt. Chelsea Peebles.

As soon as Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter opened up all combat arms to females in Dec. 2015, Peebles jumped at the opportunity to change her military occupational specialty from military police to combat engineer or military classification of 12B.

“I’ve always wanted to be able to have a combat MOS, which is why I enlisted in the FLNG’s MP unit,” said Peebles. “Once it became available to be a 12B, that’s when I decided to go ahead, take that step and go to school for it.”

With her unit’s restructuring, Peebles, who maintains peak physical readiness, seized the chance to give her maximum effort while fulfilling her dream and proving her mettle.

During her combat engineer training, Peebles tackled numerous hazardous and demanding tasks. One of those tasks was route clearance that included mine detection and live improvised explosive device removal.

Lt. Col. Elizabeth Evans, who recently became the first female 53rd Brigade Special Troops commander, praised Sgt. Peebles’ achievements and recalled when combat arms opportunities were more restrictive for female Soldiers.
read more here

Fort Campbell Hurricane Force Winds

Hurricane-force winds down trees, topple trucks and prompt outages around Colorado Springs
The Gazette
By: Jakob Rodgers
January 10, 2017
In El Paso County, 21 semis were blown over in a six-and-a-half hour span, Colorado State Patrol reported. Most were along Interstate 25, though at least four were toppled along Colo. 115 outside of Fort Carson. No serious injuries were reported.
Near-hurricane force winds continued to pound the Pikes Peak region Monday afternoon, uprooting trees into houses, ripping roofs from buildings, overturning nearly two-dozen semis and leaving thousands of children without after-school bus rides home.
An uprooted tree upended Dean Byrne's WWII-era German jeep in his front yard on Monday. (Kaitlin Durbin, The Gazette)
The winds – which gusted to 101 mph at one point – wreaked havoc across Colorado Springs while turning the Pikes Peak region into a dart board for dislodged tree limbs and other detritus from wind-ravaged buildings.
read more here

Vietnam Veteran Laid to Rest by Community

Community becomes family for fallen Vietnam veteran
CBS 7 News
By Amanda DeBerry
Posted: Jan 10, 2017

ODESSA -- Tuesday was a day to honor Vietnam veteran, Charles Ray Sorrell who passed away early last week in Odessa, but there was not one picture or family member to be found.
“When you’re taking your last breath someone needs to be there,” Hospice Nurse Rhonda Thompson said. “Somebody needs to care that you exist and that your life matters.”

An emotional day at the Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home as strangers from all walks of life came together to say farewell to Sorrell.

The veteran served his country for nine years where he made the ultimate sacrifice, but recently he spent many days in hospice fighting for his own life.

“In hospice you find out that a lot of people are alone,” Thompson said. “They’ve outlived their families and their money.”
read more here

Homeless Veteran, Beaten For His Shoes?

Homeless Veteran Attacked, Shoes Stolen Off His Feet
Arkansas Matters
By: ISABELLA MOLLER
Posted: Jan 10, 2017
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Caught on camera... a homeless veteran at the door of a gas station being robbed of his shoes.

Police say the incident happened Friday at the Super Stop Gas Station along I-30 in Little Rock.

The attendant at the Super Stop said he was at the store after a busy snowy day. He heard commotion outside and looked quick enough to see a rough turn of events outside the shop. It was all caught on the security cameras.

Two men in the video come up to where the veteran is standing, knock him out, and can be seen taking his shoes.

The attendant says he called police, and police say the man was bleeding from the mouth and had a small cut under his right eye.

Customers at the super stop say it's terrible that this happened in their community.
read more here

Trump VA Nominee Not A Veteran?

Trump Announces David Shulkin As Pick For Secretary Of Veterans Affairs
NPR
Camila Domonoske
January 11, 2016
Evan Vucci/AP
David Shulkin, the under secretary for health at the Department of Veterans Affairs, leaves a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump on Monday at Trump Tower in New York.

President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he plans to nominate David Shulkin to be his secretary of veterans affairs, a position that requires Senate confirmation.

Shulkin is currently the under secretary for health at the VA, which means he runs the Veterans Health Administration. He was nominated for that position by President Obama in March 2015 and confirmed by the Senate that June.

Shulkin's official bio says he is a physician — a board-certified internist — and was the chief executive or chief medical officer of several hospitals and hospital systems. He's also an entrepreneur who founded a health care information company called DoctorQuality.

Notably, he's not a veteran. As NPR's Quil Lawrence reported last month, the VA has always been headed by a veteran.

"I have no doubt Dr. Shulkin will be able to lead the turnaround our Department of Veterans Affairs needs," Trump said in a statement following the announcement. "Dr. Shulkin has the experience and the vision to ensure we will meet the healthcare needs of every veteran."
read more here

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Fort Campbell Soldier From Texas Dies In Jordan

Fort Campbell Soldier From Texas Dies In Jordan
News Channel 5
Jan 9, 2017

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) - The Department of Defense has announced the death of Special Forces soldier who was serving in Jordan.

According to a statement from the DOD, Spc. Isiah L. Booker of Cibolo, Texas, died Jan. 7 in a noncombat-related incident. Booker was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Campbell, a sprawling Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee border.
read more here

Orlando Police Increase Reward to $100,000 For Loyd's Capture

Hundreds searching for suspect in Orlando officer's death; reward raised to $100,000
WESH 2 News
Updated: 3:08 PM EST Jan 10, 2017

ORLANDO, Fla.
Authorities have increased the reward to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of a suspect in the slaying of an Orlando police sergeant.
Orlando police Master Sgt. Debra Clayton, 42, was shot by Markeith Loyd, 41, after she spotted him outside the Walmart on Princeton Street around 7:15 a.m. Monday, police Chief John Mina said.

Loyd has managed to elude authorities since the shooting, despite hundreds of Central Florida law enforcement agents joining the search.

After shooting Clayton, authorities said Loyd fled toward the Pine Hills neighborhood, where he fired shots at a deputy’s cruiser and carjacked a vehicle.

Orange County Sheriff's Deputy Norman Lewis, an 11-year veteran, was killed in a crash as authorities gave pursuit.
read more here