One of BSO’s top cops fired after Tamarac triple murders. He oversaw area’s deputies

The former head of the Broward Sheriff’s Office Tamarac district has been fired following the triple murders that took place in February.

Mary Gingles, her father David Ponzer and neighbor Andrew Ferrin were gunned down in the early morning hours of Feb. 16. Police arrested Mary’s estranged husband, Nathan Alan Gingles, for the crime. He is behind bars on a slew of charges, including murder, kidnapping and child abuse. He has pleaded not guilty.

READ MORE: Terrorized by her husband, she warned police he would kill her. They failed to stop him

Ten days after the killings, Captain Jemeriah Cooper, who had led the Tamarac district since 2023, was demoted and placed on duty in the Port Everglades district.

Cooper was fired after “failing to meet probationary standards” on May 9, according to a notice of termination obtained by the Miami Herald on Wednesday.

“On Friday, he was informed that he failed to meet probationary standards, but we are unaware of any reason for his termination,” Dan Rakofsky, president of IUPA 6020, the BSO deputies’ union, said in a statement to the Herald.

He wasn’t the only one disciplined.

Sgt. Brittney King, who responded to Mary’s call on several occasions, was placed on administrative investigative leave without pay for multiple violations on May 1, including:

▪ Discretion

▪ Breach of confidence

▪ Neglect of duty

▪ Failure to meet BSO standards

▪ Improper case file maintenance

▪ Body worn camera policy violations

▪ Risk protection order procedures

King was among eight deputies suspended with pay after the murders. Sgt. Travis Allen, Sgt. Devoune Williams and Deputy Ilany Ceballos, who all worked in the Tamarac area, were put on administrative investigative leave with pay, according to BSO. Also placed on leave were Civil Division Deputy Joseph Sasso and Dania Beach Deputy Daniel Munoz.

“We are very disappointed that the decision was made to move Detective Brittney King to “no-pay status,” Rakofsky said.

Rakofsky added that the decision was made “without due process that must accompany any investigation into the performance of a law enforcement officer.”

“Detective King is obviously the first of the scapegoats that the Sheriff promised the public,” Rakofsky said.

Lt. Micheal Paparella, who was previously placed on leave, returned to full duty status on April 28.

Days after the tragedy, Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony slammed deputies for multiple failures in Mary’s case, including not confiscating Nathan’s weapons and not seeking a judge’s order to seize the weapons. BSO could have done so under Florida’s red flag law, enacted after the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High mass shooting in Broward.

“When we rectify this situation, I’m going to send the fear of God amongst this entire agency,” Tony said at a press conference.

READ MORE: Woman killed in Tamarac triple murder told police about suspicious backpack, calls reveal

From February 2024 to January 2025, Mary called the sheriff’s office 14 times about her estranged husband’s increasingly erratic behavior, a BSO call log reviewed by the Herald shows.

In October, Mary discovered a tracker on her car, as well as a receipt showing that Nathan had purchased an item from the tracker’s company, according to court documents. King was assigned to investigate the tracker.

Mary’s divorce attorney recommended she check her car for a tracking device, according to an unredacted BSO incident report obtained by the Herald. Mary told an operator she thought the tracker would be an “easy case.”

But a criminal probe, Mary detailed, didn’t come until December, when she spoke at length with King.

Despite Mary’s multiple calls to law enforcement, she was killed along with her father and neighbor at the hands of her husband weeks later, police say.

This story was originally published May 14, 2025 at 2:12 PM.