PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — The estate of a Palm Beach County man has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Sheriff Ric L. Bradshaw, claiming deputies failed to enter a home during a reported suicide emergency even after the man’s mother allegedly gave them consent and access codes.
The complaint, Tiffany Holmes, as Personal Representative of the Estate of David Holmes Knight v. Ric L. Bradshaw, in his official capacity as Sheriff of Palm Beach County, was filed May 18, 2026, in the Circuit Court of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County. The case is listed as Case No. 502026CA005611XXXAMB.
Tiffany Holmes brought the lawsuit as personal representative of the estate of her son, David Holmes Knight. The complaint names Bradshaw only in his official capacity as sheriff of Palm Beach County. The plaintiff is represented by Marie A. Mattox, P.A., of Tallahassee. No defense law firm is listed in the complaint.
The allegations are claims made by the plaintiff and have not been proven in court.
According to the complaint, Knight placed an emergency call to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office on or about May 21, 2024, reporting that someone inside the home was going to commit suicide. Around the same time, the complaint says, a family friend in Texas separately contacted PBSO to report the same alleged imminent suicide threat.
The lawsuit claims both calls placed PBSO on notice of a life-threatening emergency requiring immediate intervention.
Deputies responded to the home, according to the complaint, but allegedly made only unsuccessful attempts to contact Knight through a patrol car loudspeaker. The complaint says a neighbor later provided Deputy Courtney Wright with Holmes’ phone number.
Holmes answered while driving home from Fort Lauderdale, according to the complaint. She allegedly gave deputies full consent to enter the home and provided door and garage codes. The complaint claims she made clear that deputies were authorized to enter without delay.
Despite that, the lawsuit alleges, deputies refused to enter.
The complaint says Holmes relied on deputies to enter the home and believed, based on representations made to her, that they would do so. Because of that reliance, the lawsuit claims, she did not contact friends or relatives to go to the residence and check on Knight.
When Holmes arrived about an hour later, according to the complaint, PBSO deputies and SWAT personnel were still staged outside and had not entered the home. The lawsuit claims deputies repeatedly said it was “against Florida Statutes” for them to enter.
The complaint alleges that statement was later confirmed to be false. It further claims multiple entry points were already open at the time, including the front door, garage door, interior garage door and sliding glass doors.
The lawsuit also says Holmes’ significant other, Jason Cochrane, arrived before her. According to the complaint, deputies instructed Cochrane, described in the filing as an unarmed probation officer, to enter the home and conduct the welfare check.
Cochrane searched the home alone, according to the complaint, and found that Knight was in a bathroom with the door locked, lights on and cellphone ringing. The complaint claims deputies again said they could not unlock the bathroom door “due to Florida Statutes.”
The complaint alleges deputies then instructed Cochrane to approach the locked bathroom door and unlock it while deputies stood behind him with weapons drawn and shields. After he unlocked the door, the complaint claims, deputies pulled him backward and yelled “32 brains on the wall,” indicating a possible fatality.
Holmes also alleges in the complaint that a detective later told her PBSO had received two calls at the same time and that the wrong team had been dispatched to the home. The complaint claims the detective said the supervisor was aware of the issue and had addressed it with dispatch.
The lawsuit brings one count for wrongful death under Florida law. It seeks monetary damages, declaratory judgment, legal and equitable relief, injunctive relief, attorney’s fees and costs, and a jury trial.
The original complaint, Tiffany Holmes, as Personal Representative of the Estate of David Holmes Knight v. Ric L. Bradshaw, in his official capacity as Sheriff of Palm Beach County, Case No. 502026CA005611XXXAMB, as filed May 18, 2026, with the Palm Beach County Clerk of Court, can be viewed at the PBC Clerk of Court.
David Holmes Knight, who a memorial GoFundMe says grew up in Boca Raton and was pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Florida Atlantic University, died May 21, 2024, according to the fundraiser.
Palm Beach County court records show civil complaints filed throughout the year. Boca Post tracks those filings in our Boca Raton lawsuits coverage.
