Following an internal investigation, the Broward Sheriff’s Office has fired eight deputies and disciplined 11 others.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office has dismissed six more deputies and disciplined 11 others for their roles in the handling of a domestic violence case that ended in a horrific triple homicide.
The firings bring the total number of deputies terminated to eight, following the earlier dismissal of two officers. The decision comes after an internal investigation revealed a pattern of negligence and a failure to act on repeated warnings from Mary Gingles, a woman who was allegedly murdered by her estranged husband, Nathan Gingles, along with her father and a neighbor.
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“It is painful to say this, but it is the truth — we failed Mary Gingles, David Ponzer and Andrew Ferrin. I am heartbroken by their deaths, and I am sorry that we didn’t do what we should have done to protect them,” Sheriff Dr. Gregory Tony said. “Once I learned of the potential failures in this case, I instructed our Internal Affairs Unit to conduct an exhaustive investigation and to follow the evidence wherever it led and to whomever was responsible. This is the only way that BSO can continue to grow as an agency and to maintain the public’s trust. Once IA briefed me on their findings, I was determined to hold these employees accountable for their failures.”
The investigation found that multiple deputies failed to properly investigate her domestic violence reports in the months leading up to the February 16, 2025, killings.
A Fateful Day
Mary Gingles had reported for months that she feared her husband would kill her. She had confided in friends, family, and law enforcement that Nathan Gingles was repeatedly violating restraining orders, placing a tracker on her car, and even leaving a backpack containing items like duct tape and zip ties in their garage.
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These actions, consistent with known risk factors for escalating violence, were seemingly overlooked.
On February 16, following through on threats Mary had repeatedly reported, Nathan Gingles allegedly shot his father-in-law, David Ponzer, as he drank coffee on the back patio.
He then chased Mary down the street, fatally shooting her and Andrew Ferrin, a neighbor she had fled to for help. The Gingles’ four-year-old daughter was a witness to the tragedy, reportedly begging her father to stop.
Red Flags Ignored
The killings have ignited a renewed debate over the use of Florida’s red flag law. The law, designed to temporarily remove firearms from individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others, could have been used to disarm Nathan Gingles.
However, despite his alleged behavior and Gingles’ repeated pleas for help, authorities did not seize his firearms.
In a statement, Sheriff Tony expressed his regret, saying, “We had multiple opportunities to protect Mary during the months preceding her death when she alerted us to the domestic violence she was experiencing.”
Nathan Gingles has pleaded not guilty to the charges. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
BSO Investigation Uncovers Failures
The Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) Internal Affairs Unit has completed its administrative investigation into the agency’s handling of the events, which concluded that the department failed to protect the victims.
“It is painful to say this, but it is the truth — we failed Mary Gingles, David Ponzer and Andrew Ferrin. I am heartbroken by their deaths, and I am sorry that we didn’t do what we should have done to protect them,” said Sheriff Dr. Gregory Tony.
The investigation found that beginning in February 2024, deputies in the Tamarac District responded to Mary Gingles’ home on multiple occasions to investigate domestic violence incidents. According to the report, multiple deputies failed to properly investigate these cases.
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The investigation also uncovered a critical failure in the BSO’s tactical response to the February 16 shooting. The sergeant overseeing the call instructed responding deputies to meet at a “rally point” before approaching the scene, a direct violation of BSO’s Active Shooter policy. That policy states, “deputies responding to active threat incidents shall attempt to protect the life of innocent persons through immediate tactical intervention to eliminate the threat.”
“The public needs to know that our training is clear – responding deputies must move toward the gunfire and deal with the threat. Period. There’s no staging. There’s no rally point. There’s no ambiguity,” Sheriff Tony said.
In addition to the six recently fired deputies, an earlier investigation led to the dismissal of the Tamarac District’s captain, who was demoted and later fired for failing to meet probationary standards. A trainee deputy was also dismissed for the same reason. Two other employees had allegations against them that were not sustained.
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