Multiple investigations will examine the law enforcement response after authorities said a gunman pointed his weapon at arriving officers.
AUBURNDALE, Fla. — Seven law enforcement officers opened fire on an armed man who pointed a gun at them after fatally shooting his girlfriend outside her workplace, Polk County authorities said. The encounter left two people dead and triggered independent and internal reviews.
Five Auburndale police officers and two Polk County sheriff’s deputies fired at Derrick Brathwaite, 39, on July 10 in the employee parking lot of a Spectrum office on U.S. Highway 92 West. Officials said no officers or deputies were injured.
The 10th Judicial Circuit Officer Involved Deadly Incident Task Force is leading the independent investigation. Separate reviews will be conducted by the Auburndale Police Department, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the medical examiner and the state attorney’s office.
The confrontation followed a series of 911 calls that began at about 9:12 a.m. The first caller reported a possible suicide in the Spectrum parking lot, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. Other callers then reported continuing gunfire, bringing city officers and county deputies to the scene.
They found a 20-year-old woman on the ground with gunshot wounds. Her name has not been released because of protections under Florida’s Marsy’s Law. Authorities said she worked as a customer service agent at Spectrum and had arrived for work shortly before she was shot.
Brathwaite was lying nearby with a firearm, officials said. Auburndale Police Chief Terry Storie said he appeared to be manipulating the gun, possibly because it had malfunctioned. Authorities said Brathwaite aimed the weapon at the approaching officers, prompting all seven to fire.
Investigators had not determined the total number of rounds fired by law enforcement. They also were working to determine whether Brathwaite fired at officers before they shot him. Officers provided emergency medical aid to Brathwaite and the woman, but both died.
The investigation is expected to rely heavily on surveillance footage from Spectrum and neighboring businesses. Officials said the Auburndale Police Department and Polk County Sheriff’s Office do not have body-camera recordings of the shooting.
Authorities have not released the names of the officers and deputies who fired. Judd said state victim-rights provisions prohibit their release for at least 72 hours following the shooting. All seven are expected to remain on paid administrative leave as the reviews continue.
Investigators also are examining the events that preceded the encounter. Judd said Brathwaite and the woman shared a 3-year-old son and had an on-and-off relationship. Family members told investigators that Brathwaite threatened to kill the woman and himself the day before the shooting.
The woman dropped the child off Friday morning at the home of Brathwaite’s parents in Waverly before traveling from Lake Wales to her workplace in Auburndale, authorities said. The child was not present when the shooting occurred.
The independent task force will review witness statements, surveillance recordings, firearms evidence and the sequence in which shots were fired. The medical examiner will determine the official causes and manners of both deaths. Investigative findings will then be forwarded to the 10th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office for review.
Officials described the information released Friday as preliminary. The number and timing of the shots, whether Brathwaite fired toward officers and the circumstances that led to the workplace confrontation remained under investigation.
Author note: Last updated July 11, 2026.