A man accused of fatally shooting a woman before turning the gun on responding law enforcement was shot and killed by multiple Polk County deputies and Auburndale police officers on Friday, according to the sheriff’s office.
Incident Details
The suspect was identified as Derrick Brathwaite, 39, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd held a news conference on the matter, describing how 911 calls began coming in around 9:12 a.m. regarding a suicide at a Spectrum store.
Responding Auburndale officers and Polk deputies encountered a 20-year-old woman with gunshot wounds lying on the ground in the parking lot, Judd said, adding that Brathwaite was also lying on the ground. As the officers approached, Brathwaite allegedly pointed a gun at them, Judd said.
Five Auburndale officers and two Polk deputies then fired shots at Brathwaite and soon began life-saving measures on him and the woman, but both would succumb to their injuries, according to the sheriff. Brathwaite’s family members had allegedly said that he threatened the victim a day prior and told her that he was going to kill her, then himself, Judd said.
The 10th Judicial Circuit Officer-Involved Deadly Incident Task Force is investigating the shooting. Internal investigations by the sheriff’s office’s Administrative Investigations Unit and Auburndale Police Department are also ongoing, according to Judd.
Original reporting: WESH Orlando — read the source article.
