BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — Nearly two years after a Boynton Beach mother was shot and killed outside her home, her family is suing the city and a police officer they say failed to protect her, even after she went to the police for help.
"I really don’t understand how my mother walked inside of a police station, a man that is threatening her life followed her in there, and the officer thinks it was just OK to let them walk out," said Fridelene Daniel's daughter.
WATCH: Daughter says police failed to protect her mother
Editor's Note: This video has been edited to conceal the identity of an officer not involved in the lawsuit.
Daniel was killed outside her Boynton Beach apartment in November 2023, just hours after she filed a complaint against her ex-boyfriend, Robens Cesar.
"Even looking at the video, Robens is there menacing my mother," her daughter said.
She was just 16 years old at the time.
"I got a phone call from my aunt and she was freaking out, saying I heard gunshots," she recalled.
Now, Daniel's daughter has filed a wrongful death lawsuit accusing the city of Boynton Beach and Officer Jermaine Jones of failure to protect her mother from Cesar.
Read the full lawsuit below:
"Somebody walks in, asks you for help, and you do absolutely nothing, you just let them walk out," she said.
According to police reports, Daniel told Officer Jones that Cesar was following her and that he owned a gun. Body cam video shows Cesar standing inside the Boynton Beach Police Department lobby as Daniel made her complaint that morning. You can hear Daniel tell the police, "He keeps following me. I don’t want that."
Cesar later told investigators he "couldn't stand to see Daniel with another man."
An internal affairs investigation later revealed Officer Jones claimed there was some misunderstanding at first, saying Daniel, who was from Haiti and spoke with a Creole accent, may have been misunderstood when she said the word "gun."
The lawsuit alleges Officer Jones failed to conduct a proper investigation and neglected to take immediate action to ensure Daniel's safety.
"We have a police force that took an oath to serve and protect," said attorney Gary Susser, who represents Daniel's daughter.
Officer Jones was suspended for two weeks following the internal investigation, but Susser says that isn't enough.
"When you have a woman seeking help, literally being stalked and harassed, and literally followed into the police station, nothing was done. And that is egregious conduct," Susser said.
A spokesperson for the Boynton Beach Police Department said the city will respond through legal channels.
Cesar, who is charged with first-degree murder, is still awaiting trial.
