WINTER PARK, Fla. – The family of a man fatally shot by police at a Winter Park wedding nearly two years ago is now suing the city over his death, according to a lawsuit filed on Thursday.
The incident happened in February 2022, when officers responded to a call about a man assaulting guests at a wedding reception at the Winter Park Events Center.
According to court documents, the man — Daniel Knight, 39 —was “overserved alcohol” by a caterer at his niece’s wedding and “became intoxicated.”
The event center’s manager soon called 911 to report that Knight was being violent and throwing people on the floor, the documents show.
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Police said Knight fought with a responding officer, knocking the officer unconscious. Another officer then deployed a Taser, though it wasn’t able to restrain Knight, investigators explained.
Knight approached the officer, causing the officer to fire his gun and strike Knight five times, police said. Knight later died from his injuries at the hospital.
The lawsuit claims that Knight was unarmed and his hands were visible, accusing the officers involved of trying to “unlawfully apprehend” Knight.
In addition, the lawsuit says that one of the officers grabbed the arm of Knight’s sister during the altercation when she put herself in front of Knight “to protect him from inappropriate law enforcement intervention.”
Due to this, Knight “tried to defend her” by striking the officer, the lawsuit alleges.
Last year, the Florida State Attorney’s Office determined that police hadn’t broken any laws during the shooting.
[BODY-WORN CAMERA FOOTAGE FROM THE SHOOTING CAN BE VIEWED BY CLICKING IN THE MEDIA PLAYER BELOW]
However, Knight’s family is accusing the officer who shot Knight of failing to de-escalate the situation.
“(The officer) shot Mr. Knight just one minute and 52 seconds after he arrived on the scene,” the lawsuit reads. “After shooting Mr. Knight, (the officer) remained on the scene performing crowd control and interacting with witnesses for more than 12 minutes, even threatening to ‘lock up’ other guests.”
The lawsuit accuses police of civil rights violations and wrongful death in Knight’s shooting. That lawsuit also accuses the city of negligence over Knight being “overserved” alcohol at the wedding.
According to the lawsuit, Knight’s family is seeking damages under the Florida Wrongful Death Act for the “loss of services, protection, care, assistance, companionship, comfort, guidance, counsel, and advice, and for funeral and burial expenses.”
The full lawsuit has been attached to this story and can be read in the media viewer below.
City of Winter Park Lawsuit by Anthony Talcott on Scribd
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