Ten Broward deputies face termination over handling of Tamarac triple murder

Ten Broward Sheriff’s deputies and sergeants who were entangled in the shocking and chaotic triple murder in Tamarac earlier this year have been recommended for termination, the union representing the sheriff’s office announced.

Since the Feb. 16 slayings, at least 15 BSO deputies have been disciplined over their handling of the murders of Mary Gingles, 34, her father, David Ponzer, 64, and neighbor Andrew Ferrin, 36 — stemming not only from post-investigation but also the more than a dozen calls to deputies before the killings.

It is unclear whether the 10 deputies recommended for termination are among those who have been formally disciplined. Regardless, the union representing them said the decision to seek their firing violates due process and is an excessive punishment.

“Employees who have dedicated their lives to protecting this community throughout their police careers have been sacrificed as political cover for the failures of the systems and processes of the agency at large,” said International Union of Police Associations Local 6020 in a statement.

BSO declined to comment Monday, citing the open internal affairs investigation into the agency’s handling of the triple murder.

Pleas for help preceded murders

Nathan Alan Gingles, Mary’s estranged husband, was arrested in connection with the three killings and the subsequent kidnapping of his daughter on Feb. 16.

In the weeks following the slayings, the Miami Herald learned that Mary Gingles had reported Nathan’s erratic behavior numerous times, but to no avail.

From February 2024 to January 2025, Mary called the sheriff’s office 14 times to report her estranged husband, a BSO call log showed. Court records revealed that Mary feared that she was destined to be killed by Nathan.

In light of this, the Broward Sheriff’s Office condemned its deputies in news conferences and it restructured its Tamarac district’s leadership.

Former Tamarac Captain Jemeriah Cooper was fired in May. Sgt. Brittney King, Sgt. Devoune Williams and Deputy Ilany Ceballos, who all worked in the Tamarac area, were placed on administrative investigative leave with pay shortly after the murders. Also placed on leave were Civil Division Deputy Joseph Sasso and Dania Beach Deputy Daniel Munoz.

The agency continued to discipline deputies who worked in the Tamarac district, suspending Dia Cross, Daimeon Nelson, Eric Baide, Eric Klisiak, Daniel Lovallo and Lemar Blackwood.

The sheriff’s office has not made a public statement, and it is unclear if any of the previously suspended deputies were put up for termination.

‘Excessive punishments’

IUPA Local 6020, the union representing BSO deputies, has been vocal in its criticism of how the sheriff’s office has handled the discipline of law enforcement involved in the Gingles case.

Dan Rakofsky, president of the Broward Deputy Sheriff’s Association, previously told the Herald that there is a “a rush to prejudge these deputies, as punishment should only be administered for just cause after they have received the due process that the law requires.”

In the union’s statement Friday, it echoed similar sentiments that the firing recommendations are due to the BSO’s mishandling of information and not solely based on the actions of the deputies.

“This evening, we see the consequences of inappropriate public statements and premature release of information,” it said. “The Sheriff’s press conference, three days after the heinous and horrific murders in Tamarac, was a dog whistle and clear message to what was supposed to be an unbiased Professional Standards Committee.”

The statement also claimed that the agency’s act was a stunt for the public’s sake.

“These excessive punishments demonstrate an overreaction by the Sheriff, where gaps in the agency’s capabilities have been exposed, along with many systemic and institutional processes in need of better oversight and/or revision,” the union said. “This is an overreaction for public effect that does nothing to prevent the next tragedy. The termination of many of these heroes does nothing to make the people of Broward County safer.”

This story was originally published July 12, 2025 at 8:55 PM.

Devoun Cetoute

Miami Herald

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Miami Herald Cops and Breaking News Reporter Devoun Cetoute covers a plethora of Florida topics, from breaking news to crime patterns. He was on the breaking news team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2022. He’s a graduate of the University of Florida, born and raised in Miami-Dade. Theme parks, movies and cars are on his mind in and out of the office.