030217 SWB DE

A FINAL TRIBUTE
A Hero Lost
Community Mourns Orlando Police Officer Lt. Debra Clayton
by Karen V. Contino
www.SouthwestOrlandoBulletin.com x March 2 - 15, 2017 x 5
Ann Varkey
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Selling or Buying Homes
Orlando Police Lt. Debra
Clayton leaves a legacy of bravery,
community activism and a smile
that could transcend barriers.
“She was a role model for so many
and a mother figure to some of the
young girls, who would turn to Debra
for advice,” said Orlando Police
Chief John Mina at Clayton’s funeral
service, where he posthumously
promoted her from the rank of master
sergeant to lieutenant. “And who
wouldn’t be put at ease when faced
with Debra’s infectious smile? I’ve
heard from many kids this week that
when Debra smiled, no matter what
you were feeling about law enforcement,
you had to smile back. Debra
knew that something as simple as a
smile could lead to a real connection,
and I’ve never known anyone better
at building those bonds.”
Orange
County Public
Schools
recognizes
its former
student, the late
Orlando Police
Lt. Debra
Clayton.
Clayton, 42, who died Jan. 9,
2017, when she was shot and killed
outside a Walmart by a suspect on
the run, proudly served the Orlando
Police Department for more than 17
years. She is survived by her husband
of one year, Seth Clayton;
her adult son, Johnny Brinson;
her parents, Rudolph Thomas
Sr. and Yvette Shakelford; a sister
and brother for whom she was
caregiver, Ashley Thomas and
Rudolph Thomas Jr.; siblings
Nikkie Anita Huey Young,
Rayshaw Shackelford and
Alton Huey; an aunt and uncle,
Charlotte and Cordell Woods;
and many other loving family members
and friends.
“My sister was a beautiful person
inside and out,” Ashley said at a
recent candlelight vigil. “She would
give you the shirt off her back.”
Born and raised in Central Florida,
Clayton was a 1993 graduate of Dr.
Phillips High School, where she
also had served as a school resource
officer.
“Debra would just light up a room
with her smile,” said JuaNita Reed,
Clayton’s former guidance counselor.
“When we would have a counseling
session, Debra would always express
her love for working in the community.
At first she told me that she would
like to become a guidance counselor.
Then one day she said, ‘I think I want
to go into law enforcement.’ That is
exactly what she did.”
“She decided, no, I want to be a
police officer, because she felt like
she would do more in the community,”
said DPHS Principal Secretary
Deloris Patterson. “She could
reach more children by being out in
the community.
“Debra was involved in countless
community activities and had a passion
for working with and investing
in the youth. Debra worked tirelessly
to bridge the gap between the community
and law enforcement.”
“She was an active participant in
all of our youth mentoring programs,”
Mina said. “Operation Positive
Direction [Youth Mentoring Program],
Parramore Kidz Zone, you name it.
She was a member of our Dueling
Dragons of Orlando Dragon Boat
Team, a very unlikely partnership between
inner city teens and Orlando
police officers. Debra knew the importance
of this program, where barriers
and walls were broken down
and where officers and kids used
teamwork to achieve a common goal.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
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