FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Jemeriah Cooper’s decades of experience in law enforcement include “overseeing processes for injunctions for protection against violence,” and it was a domestic violence triple murder that ended his career with the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
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After an investigation, Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony attributed Cooper’s demotion to a “shortcoming of performance” before Nathan Gingles was arrested for three murders on Feb. 16 in Tamarac.
According to Veda Coleman-Wright, a BSO spokeswoman, Cooper, a former captain, was terminated.
“The reason given on the termination form is failure to meet probationary standards,” Coleman-Wright wrote on Tuesday.
Gingles, a military veteran, was arrested for killing his 34-year-old estranged wife, Mary Gingles; his 64-year-old father-in-law David Ponzer; and Andrew Ferrin, a 36-year-old neighbor, and kidnapping his 4-year-old daughter Seraphine.
“We had a chance to save their loved one’s life and we failed,” Tony said, adding that Nathan Gingles could have been arrested in December and was not.
Cooper started his career as a Florida Department of Corrections officer in 2000 and he joined BSO in 2022 as a detention deputy.
After becoming a deputy sheriff in 2008, Cooper moved up the ranks. In 2021, he served as the Tamarac District’s executive officer and was promoted to captain in 2023. Tony demoted him to deputy on Feb. 26.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel was the first to report Cooper’s termination Tuesday.
According to BSO memos obtained Wednesday by Local 10 News, Deputy Brittney King, 29, was placed on administrative leave without pay on May 1, and Lt. Michael Paparella was ordered to return to full duty status on April 28.
Other deputies suspended due to the Gingles shootings include:
- Tamarac Sgt. Travis Allen, 45, an 18-year veteran
- Tamarac Sgt. Devoune Williams, 51, a 20-year veteran
- Tamarac Deputy ILany Ceballos, 27, a 5-year veteran
- Civil Division Deputy Joseph Sasso, 57, an 8-year veteran
- Dania Beach Deputy Daniel Munoz, 29, a 5-year veteran
Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editor Wilson Louis contributed to this report.