Family mourns sudden death of Windsor police officer – NBC Connecticut

The family of a Windsor police officer is mourning the loss of their beloved son, nephew, grandson and father, 31-year-old Louis Clayton.

Clayton wore the badge for three years and was a veteran of the United States Army. He died on November 8th while off duty.

“Right now we, the family, the friends and all of his colleagues are grieving,” said Clayton’s uncle, Kwanza Clayton.

Clayton was called “The Kidd” by many, which was a nod to his middle name and personality.

“Lui 'The Kidd', that's just the character he was. That’s exactly the character my nephew had,” Kwanza Clayton said. “He just brought laughter and smiles to everyone’s faces, his family, his friends and everything else his whole life.”

Clayton leaves behind two young daughters, a longtime girlfriend, parents, grandparents and several other family members. In his free time, Clayton enjoyed working on cars.

“He loved building cars and fixing things. I just got off the phone with his dad today and his dad just said that if he had any problems with the car he would get parts and they would put the stuff together,” said Kwanza Clayton.

After serving in the U.S. Army, Clayton became a police officer in Windsor in 2021. Windsor Police Captain Andrew Power said in a statement:

“Officer Clayton served with dedication and honor, and this loss has a profound impact on our department and our community.”

Outside the police station, a memorial grows on the roof of a patrol car and there are pennants on the building.

Clayton's uncle, a longtime East Hartford police officer, said he will miss talking to his nephew about the job.

“It is disturbing not to see him here. He called me a lot at work, he always just called me uncle, uncle,” Kwanza Clayton said. “I was very, very excited that there was another Clayton in the family who was going to be a police officer.”

Kwanza Clayton wants to raise awareness about suicide prevention.

“Talk about it. If you don’t want to talk to someone personal or family, talk to a stranger, pick up the phone and just call someone,” said Kwanza Clayton.

The Windsor Police Department provides resources and support to police officers. Clayton's family said services will be Nov. 23 at Carmon Community Funeral Homes in Bloomfield.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live on 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.