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Derek Brathwaite

Age : 39

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 07/10/2026

Location : Spectrum parking lot, State Road 60

City : Lake Wales

County : Polk

State : Florida

Agency : Polk County Sheriff's Office; Lake Wales Police Department

Officer(s) :Not disclosed

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during attempted arrest

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 07/10/2026, Polk County Sheriff's deputies and Lake Wales police officers responded to a report of a shooting at a Spectrum parking lot on State Road 60 in Lake Wales. Investigators determined that Derek Brathwaite, 39, had fatally shot his 20-year-old girlfriend before law enforcement arrived. Officers located Brathwaite in the parking lot suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound while still armed with a handgun. According to investigators, Brathwaite pointed the handgun at responding deputies and officers, who then fired, striking him multiple times. Deputies and officers rendered medical aid until EMS arrived, but Brathwaite was pronounced dead at the scene. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting.

 

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.mysuncoast.com/2026/07/10/polk-county-man-shot-by-police-after-killing-girlfriend-deputies-say/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eegVSESbWjg