CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. -- As the search continues for Markeith Loyd, the man accused of shooting and killing Orlando Police Department Master Sergeant Debra Clayton, one Southwest Florida man is stirring up controversy taking to the streets and showing support for Loyd.
Former Port Charlotte High School grad and Orange County Sheriff's Deputy Norman Lewis was also killed while pursuing the shooter.
Now, a YouTube video has surfaced showing Ian Mcguire protesting in front of the Charlotte County Sheriff's office substation.
"God bless the shooter. It’s a good thing he did," McGuire is heard saying on the video.
In the video, Mcguire films his encounters with the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office staff and people walking around the plaza while he holds up a sign that says, "2 Cops Dead in Orlando, God Bless The Shooter."
When a woman asks McGuire in the video if he's taking donations for the deceased officers, McGuire responds, "I’m supporting the guy who shot them.”
“It makes me uncomfortable that somebody’s out there with the audacity to stand in front of the Sheriff’s Office with a sign like that. I think it’s very appalling,” said Angela Madison, a neighboring worker.
But why the protest? In the caption of his video, McGuire writes that he's conducting a First Amendment audit, to see if they will allow him to express his feelings freely.
“Freedom of speech is one thing but that’s just disrespect,” Madison said.
“This guy’s proporting violence. Personally I think he needs to be on the FBI watch list. He’s a crazy person,” said Dr. Michael Mozetti, an Emergency Medicine Physician at a nearby urgent care.
The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office declined to comment on the 9 minute clip shot and edited by McGuire.
McGuire has had prior run ins with the law, having been arrested five times in Charlotte County since 2009, including a charge for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2012.
“He’s not only a danger to himself or his surroundings, he’s a danger to society. Definitely a danger to the police officers he’s protesting,” Dr. Mozetti said.
