Bodycam Video Released in Florida Police Shooting of Daniel Knight, Man Killed at Niece's Wedding Reception

Police have released body camera video of the fatal shooting of a guest at a Florida wedding reception in February. 

Janisha and Gionni Paul were celebrating their nuptials at a popular venue in Winter Park with their closest friends and family, including the bride's uncle, Daniel Knight, a dad of four.

As the reception wound down, a 911 caller reported that Knight was drunk and acting irate. 

“He's trying to beat people up. He's yelling. He's grabbing an older woman and shoving her. It’s getting bad. It’s getting pretty violent,” the caller said.

The newly-released bodycam video shows cops pull up to the venue. Police say they tried to “deescalate” the situation, but claim Knight lunged at two officers. A taser was ineffective, they said. 

Police say Knight continued assaulting one of the officers, and that’s when they opened fire at him. An officer fired seven shots, and pandemonium erupted.

“The dude hit me, man. He punched me out, man, he punched me out,” the officer says on video.

Knight was pronounced dead at the hospital. 

After the new video was released, lawyers for his grieving family said, “The only thing the video establishes is that Daniel Knight did not deserve to die."

The Winter Park Police Department says there were worries the suspect would grab the unconscious officer's firearm. The officers involved have been put on desk duty while the investigation continues.

Related Stories