Eight Broward deputies fired over botched handling of Tamarac triple murders

Eight Broward County Sheriff’s Office deputies have been fired — including a captain previously dismissed in May — following an internal investigation into the agency’s bungled handling of a man who repeatedly threatened his wife then killed her, her father and a neighbor in Tamarac.

Since the Feb. 16 killings, 21 deputies have faced or will face discipline over their handling of the murders of Mary Gingles, 34; her father, David Ponzer, 64; and neighbor Andrew Ferrin, 36. The moves stem not only from the shooting response but from deputies’ responses to more than a dozen calls for help in the months leading up to the murders, Sheriff Gregory Tony announced on Friday.

“We had every opportunity to save that woman’s life,” Tony said, adding that a faster response could potentially have saved Mary and Ferrin, though not Ponzer, who was ambushed and killed first. “There was nothing we could have done at that moment, but we maybe had an opportunity to stop it if the investigative procedures before this incident took place.”

In addition to the eight terminations, four deputies will be suspended for 10 days, one for 15 days, another for five days, two for three days and three for at least one day. Two employees were cleared of wrongdoing after investigators found no policy violations, according to Tony.

Sgt. Travis Allen, who oversaw the shooting call, was called “absolutely a coward” by Tony for failing to order deputies to act more decisively during the shootings at a Friday press conference. Allen instructed responding deputies to meet at a rally point before responding to the shooting call, Tony said. That decision was a violation of BSO’s Active Shooter policy, the agency said.

Captain Jemeriah Cooper, who oversaw the Tamarac district, was fired in May.

A trainee deputy, Stephen Tapia, who responded to the shooting call, had also been previously dismissed for failing to meet probationary standards.

Other fired deputies include: Travis Allen, Brittney King, Daniel Muñoz, Lemar Blackwood, Eric Klisiak and Devoune Williams.

Tony presented an animated video showing the murders and deputies’ response, including dispatch audio. He said that when Sgt. Allen arrived at the scene, security footage captured Nathan Gingles and his 4-year-old daughter, Seraphina, walk past his vehicle after the shooting. A canine deputy, who heard the call from Deerfield Beach, had actually beaten Allen to the scene.

“This is something where no one should be sitting around,” Tony said. “You can hear the frustration in a canine officer’s voice, as well as his colleague out there, not understanding why all these deputies are standing around and not pushing the contact. And he’s 100% right.”

Tony emphasized that it was a quiet Sunday morning with only one other call, a mental health case, and no traffic delays.

‘Mary’s repeated cries for help’

On Feb. 16, Mary’s estranged husband, Nathan Alan Gingles, was arrested for the murders and the abduction of their daughter. He entered the home he once shared with Mary, shot Ponzer as he drank his morning coffee, then chased Mary to a neighbor’s house, killing her and Ferrin.

In the aftermath, the Miami Herald reported that Mary had repeatedly warned authorities about Nathan’s escalating behavior. Between February 2024 and January 2025, she contacted BSO at least 14 times. Court filings showed she feared Nathan would kill her.

While living in Tamarac, she obtained two restraining orders against him, citing his volatility after she filed for divorce. Records also revealed Nathan once told his 4-year-old daughter he intended to kill her mother. After a visit, the girl warned Mary, “Daddy is trying to make you die.”

Sheriff Tony later condemned his deputies’ failures, including their inaction on removing Nathan’s firearms or seeking a court order under Florida’s red flag law, passed after the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High massacre. “It is clear … we fell short on this one,” Tony said at a press conference shortly after the killings. “When we rectify this situation, I’m going to send the fear of God amongst this entire agency.”

“The deputies and detectives assigned to investigate these cases failed their training and, ultimately, failed to handle Mary’s repeated cries for help with the urgency required,” Tony said in a press release.

The department’s failures and Mary’s ignored pleas prompted a leadership shakeup in the Tamarac district. Along with Cooper’s firing, Sgt. Brittney King, Sgt. Devoune Williams, and Deputy Ilany Ceballos were placed on paid administrative leave after the murders. Civil Division Deputy Joseph Sasso and Dania Beach Deputy Daniel Munoz were also put on leave.

Other deputies disciplined include Dia Cross, Daimeon Nelson, Eric Baide, Sophie Riggs,Illany Ceballos, La’Toya Isaac, Yausel Pompa, Raul Ortiz, James Redfearn and Kyle Schnakenberg.

IA investigation had a ‘predetermined outcome’, union says

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 was 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.”

Sheriff Gregory Tony has defended the department’s process, stressing the scope of the review. He noted the investigation was thorough, involving more than 2,000 investigative hours.

“This is one of those cases where we couldn’t expedite it and speed it up and compromise either the officers’ rights, or compromise the fact that this is still an active criminal investigation,” Tony said.

Rakofsky said on Friday the deputies and their union remain convinced the process was flawed from the outset.

“Within days of this evil crime taking place the Sheriff made it clear how this investigation would end,” Rakofsky said. “And, today, he delivered on that promise. It is safe to say that this investigation had a predetermined outcome, and that due process was not afforded to our members.”

He added that the discipline was “a PR position held by the agency that decided to use Monday morning quarterbacking contrary to well-established case law, industry standards, and common decency.” The union now plans to take each case to arbitration.

“…we are confident that the facts will speak for themselves, which will show that our members could not have done anything different to change the tragic outcome of that day,” Rakofsky said.

This story was originally published September 12, 2025 at 12:32 PM.