AUBURNDALE, Fla. — A domestic violence attack turned deadly Friday morning when a man shot and killed his girlfriend outside a Spectrum store before officers shot and killed him moments later, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
The shooting happened around 9:12 a.m. in the employee parking lot of the Spectrum location on U.S. 92 in Auburndale. The first 911 calls reported a possible suicide, but callers soon reported that shots were still being fired as the situation unfolded.
Officers Arrive to Find Both Victims Down
Five Auburndale police officers and two Polk County deputies responded to the scene. They found a 20-year-old woman from Lake Wales lying on the ground with severe injuries. She had just arrived for a customer service training shift when the man, identified as 39-year-old Derrick Brathwaite, approached her and opened fire.
Officers also found Brathwaite on the ground, wounded and still holding his gun. Auburndale Police Chief Terry Storie said he appeared to be fumbling with the weapon, possibly trying to clear a malfunction, before he raised it and pointed it at the arriving officers and deputies.
All seven law enforcement officers on scene opened fire. Sheriff Grady Judd said the exact number of rounds fired has not yet been determined. Both Brathwaite and the woman died from their injuries despite efforts to provide emergency medical care. None of the officers or deputies were hurt.
Judd described the case as a textbook example of suicide by cop, saying Brathwaite clearly intended for the confrontation to end with police killing him.
Couple Had History of Threats, Shared a Young Son
According to investigators, Brathwaite and the victim were in an on-and-off relationship and had a 3-year-old son together. A witness told deputies that Brathwaite had threatened to kill the woman the day before the shooting, telling her he planned to kill her and then himself.
On the morning of the shooting, the woman dropped their son off at Brathwaite’s parents’ home in Waverly before stopping for breakfast and heading to work, where Brathwaite was waiting.
Judd said Brathwaite had an extensive criminal record, including 31 prior felony arrests and 24 misdemeanor arrests.
Under recent changes to Florida’s Marsy’s Law that took effect July 1, the names of officers involved in shootings cannot be released for at least 72 hours. All seven officers and deputies have been placed on paid administrative leave and will undergo mental health evaluations before returning to duty, standard procedure following officer-involved shootings.
The 10th Judicial Circuit’s Officer Involved Deadly Incident Task Force is now reviewing surveillance footage from Spectrum and nearby businesses, since neither department involved uses body cameras. Investigators say they are still working to determine what led to the confrontation.
Spectrum released a statement saying its thoughts are with those affected and that it is cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
