News and Investigations

The 10th Judicial Circuit Officer Involved Deadly Incident Task Force is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred in the employee parking lot of Spectrum, 1004 U.S. Hwy 92 West in the city of Auburndale on Friday, July 10, 2026.

The following is a recap of Sheriff Judd’s comments during the news briefing at the scene, which can be found on the PCSO Facebook page and the PCSO YouTube channel:

At 9:12 a.m. this morning, the PCSO ECC began receiving 911 calls regarding a suicide at the Spectrum office. Other callers reported shots being fired. Auburndale Police Officers and Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the scene, where they encountered the victim, a 20-year-old black female, on the ground in the parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds. Per Marsy’s Law, her name and information are not public record. The victim’s boyfriend, Derrick Brathwaite, DOB 9/11/86, was lying on the ground holding a firearm. As officers and deputies approached, he pointed the gun at them, forcing them to shoot him. After he was shot, they performed life-saving measures on him and the victim, but both succumbed to their injuries. Five APD officers and two deputy sheriffs fired shots. Per Marsy’s Law, we are prohibited from releasing their names and information for at least the next 72 hours.

According to family members, Brathwaite had threatened the victim yesterday that he was going to kill her and then kill himself. This morning, she left her home in Lake Wales and dropped her 3-year-old son off at the suspect’s parents' house in Waverly, FL, prior to going to work at Spectrum as a customer service agent. Brathwaite fatally shot the victim prior to the officers’ and deputies’ arrival.

Brathwaite’s criminal history includes 31 prior felonies and 24 misdemeanor charges.

Per standard protocol, there are five investigations currently underway: an independent investigation by the 10th Judicial Circuit's Officer Involved Deadly Incident (OIDI) Task Force; an internal investigation by the PCSO Administrative Investigations Unit; an internal investigation by the Auburndale Police Department; the Polk County Medical Examiner conducts the autopsies to determine the manners and causes of death; and all investigative findings are forwarded to the 10th Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office for their investigation and review.

As we always clearly state, the information provided here is preliminary and is subject to modification as the investigation continues.