TAMARAC, Fla. – Newly released 911 calls captured the panic and fear of neighbors after investigators said a domestic dispute escalated into a triple murder in Tamarac last Sunday.
“Tell me exactly what happened,” a 911 dispatcher said in one of the calls.
“I just woke up out of sleep and there were gunshots and screaming,” the caller responded.
“About five minutes ago, someone was knocking,” a woman stated in another 911 call. “A lady was knocking really hard on my door, running in the street with a little girl. It seems someone’s after her.”
Authorities say Nathan Gingles, 43, of Lauderhill, fatally shot his father-in-law, David Ponzer, 64; his estranged wife, Mary Gingles, 34; and their neighbor, Andrew Ferrin, 36, before kidnapping his 4-year-old daughter, Seraphine, who was later found physically unharmed.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office has suspended a lieutenant, two sergeants, and four deputies after an internal investigation revealed multiple failures in handling previous warnings about Gingles, who had a history of domestic violence.
According to investigators, Mary Gingles had made dozens of calls to authorities about threats from her estranged husband.
Court records show Nathan Gingles repeatedly violated a restraining order, and in December, an injunction required deputies to confiscate his weapons. Despite this, BSO returned them in October.
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony did not hold back in his assessment of the department’s actions when speaking at a press conference on Wednesday.
“This is just a matter of what I’ve seen is just piss-poor performance, complacency, and people not doing their due diligence,” Tony said.
Radio transmissions obtained by Local 10 News detail the chaos deputies encountered that day.
“They’re now advising it’s gonna be a total of nine shots,” a dispatcher said.
Meanwhile, family members of the victims are demanding answers.
“Why did this happen? How did you fail so badly?!” asked Briana Gulas, a cousin of Mary Gingles and niece of David Ponzer when speaking to Local 10′s Roy Ramos in a phone interview on Thursday.
Adding to the outrage, authorities said a deputy saw Nathan Gingles walking hand-in-hand with his barefoot daughter, who had just witnessed the murders, but failed to stop or question him.
“The sheriffs knew he was erratic. Enough to take his weapons away and then give them back,” Gulas said Thursday.
Jail records show Nathan Gingles is facing three counts of first-degree murder, among several other felony charges that include kidnapping. He remains held without bond at the Broward Main Jail.
A vigil is planned for Sunday evening as the Tamarac community mourns the victims.
Authorities said the deputies’ suspensions remain under review.
