BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – An eighth Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy has been suspended and another has been knocked down multiple ranks in connection with a probe into the agency’s handling of events before and after a Feb. 16 killing spree in Tamarac.
Recommended Videos
A BSO spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that the agency placed Raul Ortiz on leave Monday and demoted Capt. Jemeriah Cooper, who led the agency’s Tamarac district, to the rank of deputy effective Wednesday evening.
Sheriff Gregory Tony said a preliminary probe revealed a “shortcoming of performance” by BSO deputies, including a missed opportunity to arrest suspect Nathan Gingles before he committed the triple murder, leading Tony to suspend seven other deputies, including a lieutenant and two sergeants.
Gingles, 43, of Lauderhill, is accused of his father-in-law, his estranged wife and her neighbor all while accompanied by his young daughter, who authorities said he also kidnapped.
Tony, in a news conference last Wednesday, said the agency “fell short” and “failed” in the case.
Deputies said Nathan Gingles first shot father-in-law David Ponzer, 64, in the head “while he innocently drank coffee on his back patio” at the home of his 34-year-old estranged wife, Mary Gingles.
They said Nathan Gingles, with 4-year-old daughter Seraphine in tow, then chased down Mary Gingles as she sought refuge in the home of neighbor Andrew Ferrin, 36.
Deputies said Nathan Gingles shot both his wife and Ferrin dead, then took off with Seraphine — who would later be located, along with her father, unharmed.
Officials said there were dozens of domestic violence calls and allegations of abuse at the hands of Nathan Gingles. Mary Gingles had taken out a restraining order against him.
Tony said a probe of past calls revealed that Nathan Gingles could have been arrested after a domestic violence call in December, but he was not.
“We had a chance to save their loved one’s life and we failed,” he said last Wednesday.
Tony also said “people will lose their job(s)” over their “piss-poor performance” as he announced the initial wave of suspensions.
He had hinted at more actions to come at the time, saying, “I’m going to end up back in front of this camera.”
As of Wednesday, Nathan Gingles remains locked up in the BSO Main Jail on a host of charges, including three counts of first-degree murder.