“Sheriff, hurry up please.”
—Bill Norkunas 11/25/2020
The Broward Sheriffs Office (BSO) response to an attempted home invasion in November 2020 bears striking similarities to last week’s triple homicide in Tamarac, published reports show. Just after 6:00 am on Sunday, February 16, 2025, multiple calls poured into the BSO-operated 911 call center. According to the arrest warrant, the 911 call center received a call claiming “approximately four (4) shots fired…moments later [the caller] heard approximately two (2) more gunshots.” Those shots came from the gun used by Nathan Gingles to murder his estranged wife Mary Gingles, her father David Pozer and Andrew Ferrin, an innocent neighbor.
Late Tuesday, REDBROWARD broke the news of the suspension of five members of BSO for their handling of the Gingles matter. Multiple sources told REDBROWARD how a BSO sergeant and a deputy spotted Nathan Gingles dragging his daughter by hand in the Tamarac neighborhood after he murdered three people. Our sources say Gingles was carrying his weapon at the time.
According to Nathan Gingles’ arrest warrant, “Sergeant Travis Allen…was stationary on the southeast corner of N. Plum Bay Parkway and East Grand Duke Circle when he observed an adult white male, clad in all black clothing including a black hooded sweatshirt and pants, walking…with a small female child who was without shoes.” The warrant states Allen broadcasted the information via radio, “however, due to the unknown circumstances of the call, deputies continued to canvass the area.” The warrant states BSO deputies were setting up a perimeter.
After BSO deputies exited the primary crime scene, a neighbor approached them regarding surveillance video of the incident. According to the warrant, Sgt. Allen confirmed the white male and small child depicted in the video “resembled” the subjects he spotted earlier.
According to an official BSO press release, Gingles was able to walk to his vehicle with his daughter and flee the scene. Three hours later, investigators found Gingles’ car parked miles away at a North Lauderdale Walmart. BSO SWAT members arrested Gingles.
On Wednesday afternoon, Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony started his press conference by claiming our story was “inaccurate.” Tony said their was no “active shooter” situation when BSO arrived on the scene. When asked NBC 6 asked about BSO spotting Nathan Gingles walking in the neighborhood, Tony gave a confused non-answer.
Tony confirmed that numerous BSO employees were suspended for actions in October and December involving service calls from Mary Gingles.
Tony claimed he was transparent and promised accountability—going so far as to promise firing of personnel.
“There will be people who will lose their job(s) over this,” Tony said.
“HURRY UP PLEASE”
On the evening of November 25, 2020 Bill Norkunas spotted an intruder outside the front door of his Tamarac home. According to published reports, Norkunas, a disabled polio survivor, spent at least fifteen minutes begging the BSO 911 call center for help as Timothy Johnson, a career criminal, attempted to gain entry into the home.
The Sun-Sentinel reported that Norkunas’ neighbors flooded BSO with 911 calls as well.
“If he opens the door can I shoot him?” Norkunas asked the 911 operator.
“Get the cops here quick,” Norkunas said four minutes later. “Sheriff, hurry up please.”
Ten minutes into the call, Norkunas said, “Where the hell are the cruisers? They are still not here. Jesus Christ. There’s still no cruisers. Come to my house, please, please.”
The Sun-Sentinel recounted a 911 call from Norkunas’ neighbor. She described the scene as the intruder finally walked away from Norkunas’ home. “Oh God, oh God, oh God he’s waking to my fucking house. Holy fuck. Please help me…Please hurry the fuck up,” she said. “Oh my God this guy is fucking terrorizing everybody’s house and you guys are nowhere to be found.”
The Sun-Sentinel reported that the dispatcher finally told Norkunas the cruisers were not coming to his house because BSO deputies were “canvassing the area to ‘make sure no else gets hurt’.”
Johnson was not stopped until he wandered in the BSO perimeter several hundred yards away.
The arrest paperwork for Timothy Johnson was signed by BSO Deputy Britteny King.
King is one of the deputies suspended over the handling of the Gingles murders.
The Sun-Sentinel spoke with numerous law enforcement experts about the Norkunas matter. They were shocked that BSO deputies did not engage the intruder at Norkunas front door.
Most shocking was Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony’s take on the matter. A month after the arrest, Tony discussed the incident on a local radio station show.
According to the Sun-Sentinel, Tony worried how the takedown of a violent black man could affect the community.
“We just cannot afford to kill an unarmed Black man in this country without it having a ripple effect in this community,” Tony told NewsRadio 610 WIOD. “So we can do better, we can move faster but we also have to be precise, and make sure we are not jeopardizing the entire community like this call could have done.”
PERIMETER
Reports on the tragic 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting show the first Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies on scene stopped to set up a perimeter instead of rushing to confront the shooter. This is one of the factors which lead Governor Ron DeSantis to remove then-Sheriff Scott Israel. DeSantis replaced Israel with Gregory Tony.
So why is BSO still setting up perimeters instead of engaging dangerous criminals?
In 2020, under Tony’s watch, a violent criminal tried to gain entry into an elderly man’s home. The disabled begged for help even though he was armed. Yet, BSO deputies did not engage.
Two years later, Johnson committed another home invasion in Davie. He was also charged with attempted first-degree murder.
What if Johnson disarmed Norkunas in 2020? He could have easily killed Norkunas while BSO deputies stood by.
Did Sheriff Gregory Tony train his deputies to set up perimeters and stand guard?
At his press conference last week, Sheriff Tony insisted the Gingles crime scene was not an “active shooter” situation by the time BSO personnel arrived. He said the FBI definition of “active shooter” situations backed up his claim.
But the arrest warrant shows BSO Sergeant Travis Allen encountered Nathan Gingles and four year old Seraphina Gingles while he was stationed at the southeast corner of N. Plum Bay Parkway and East Grand Duke Circle.
REDBROWARD visited the quiet Plum Harbor and Plum Bay neighborhood this week. North Plum Bay Parkway is the only road in and out of the development.
The corner of North Plum Bay Parkway and East Grand Duke Circle where Sgt. Allen set up his perimeter is literally two houses from the crime scene.
Allen spots an adult walking with a barefoot toddler before dawn in a neighborhood where multiple shots were fired and he does not engage the man?
A perimeter set up so close to crime scene that the armed perpetrator and a victim breach it and it’s not an “active shooter” situation?
Nobody knew if Nathan Gingles was going to murder more people last Sunday.
Why didn’t Sgt. Allen or anyone else engage Gingles?
Surveillance footage shows Gingles and his daughter walking through the neighborhood to his car.
Instead of stopping Gingles then and there, BSO deputies went to Gingles’ Lauderhill apartment where he left his cell phone. Luckily, license plate reader information helped track Gingles’ car to a North Lauderdale Walmart where BSO SWAT apprehended him.
Is Sheriff Gregory Tony still training deputies to set up perimeters instead of engaging bad guys?
This week, Tony told Broward Legislators that he takes responsibility for the Tamarac murders.
“The people already voted. They voted me into office twice. They expect me to make good sound decisions when it comes to public safety…I take full responsibility,” Tony told lawmakers. “No different than the shooting we’re dealing with in Tamarac right now. I own everything. Every bit of it. I’m not goong to push it off or blame anyone else.”
Seven or more BSO personnel are suspended right now. Rumors abound that members of the command staff handpicked by Tony have stepped aside, but Tony remains unscathed.
Tony says he trains the men and women of BSO. Broward taxpayers built Tony a fancy new training facility.
So why is BSO response to life-threatening situations still subpar?
Sheriff Tony failed Bill Norkunas on that November 2020 evening as he stood there on crutches holding a gun as Timothy Johnson tried to smash his way inside the Tamarac home.
When did Tony take responsibility for failing Bill Norkunas?
On February 16, 2025, Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony failed four-year old Seraphina Gingles. Surveillance footage shows the little girl following her father as her mother ran for her life. Other footage shows the little girl following her father to his getaway car. The little girl sat in the front seat of that car as her father drove to a far off Walmart store.
It is a miracle that Nathan Gingles did not harm his daughter.
Seraphina told an investigator, “she wanted her mom to ‘defeat’ her dad, but her dad won.”
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony failed Seraphina Gingles last week.
Clearly, something is seriously wrong with Sheriff Tony’s leadership and training of BSO staff.
Who will take full responsibility for that?
