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Florida Bulldog

Sheriff Gregory Tony’s secret: As a teenager, he shot and killed a man

Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony

By Dan Christensen, FloridaBulldog.org

Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony shot and killed a man when he was a teenager living in a poor urban neighborhood in Philadelphia, according to records and interviews with family members of the dead man.

Tony, 41, kept the May 3, 1993 killing secret for years. But after being asked about it by Florida Bulldog, had this to say on Saturday:

“When I was 14 years old, growing up in a neighborhood in Philadelphia filled with violence and gang activity, I shot an armed man in self-defense. The juvenile authorities reviewed my actions and cleared my name,” Tony wrote in an email. “This was the most difficult and painful experience of my life and I have never spoken of it publicly.  I worked every day from that time forward to leave the violence that surrounded me in Philadelphia behind.”

Tony’s account, however, is disputed by the dead man’s girlfriend, who said he was apparently unarmed and that the shooting was prompted by an argument.

No disclosure

Tony did not disclose his Philadelphia arrest on murder and firearms charges on forms he filled out to become a law-enforcement officer in Coral Springs more than a decade ago. He also apparently kept the matter under wraps early last year when Gov. Ron DeSantis chose him to replace Sheriff Scott Israel.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and newly appointed Sheriff Gregory Tony on Jan. 11, 2019

DeSantis suspended Israel for “neglect of duty and incompetence” for mishandling the police responses to the 2018 Valentine’s Day massacre at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the January 2017 mass shooting at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Today, Tony and Israel, both Democrats, are the two leading candidates for sheriff in the 2020 election. According to the Supervisor of Elections, Tony has to date raised about $157,000 in monetary and in-kind contributions. Israel has raised nearly $135,000.

Tony was initially charged as an adult by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, but the homicide case was soon transferred to Juvenile Court, where it went to trial in December 1993. Tony was found not guilty. The court file was ordered sealed by the judge, and no court records about it are public. Florida Bulldog obtained a police report outlining the case’s key details.

Tony went on to graduate in 1997 from Philadelphia’s Olney High School, where he played football and baseball. But he soon left Philadelphia behind, moving to Tallahassee where he attended Tallahassee Community College and Florida State University. He graduated with a degree in criminology in 2002.

Decades later, Gregory Scott Tony is still remembered back home in Philadelphia.

‘I will never forget his face’

“I will never forget his face, never, ever,” said Maritza Carrasquillo, who was 17 years old when Tony pulled the trigger on her 18-year-old boyfriend, Hector “Chino” Rodriguez.

Carrasquillo remembers vividly that awful Monday afternoon 27 years ago. It was about 3:45 p.m. and she was on the phone with Chino, who was caring for their 5-month-old daughter while she worked part-time at a McDonalds. “I was calling to check on her. It was cherry season and he was gonna buy me five dollars of cherries. We hung up and I would say not even 10 minutes later his sister came running. I was already walking to his mother’s house and his sister screams, ‘They just shot my brother! They just shot my brother!’ ”

Hector “Chino” Rodriguez and Maritza Carrasquillo

Chino’s mother is Norma Rodriguez, now 64. She lived a block away from the shooting scene outside Gregory Tony’s row house at 2828 N. Hutchinson St.

“I heard those shots. Someone said it was a gun. They killed your son! And I started running outside and found my son on the sidewalk in blood,” she said, before sobbing and unable to continue.

The police report says Chino suffered “multiple GSW’s [gunshot wounds] to head & body.”

Carrasquillo said witnesses told her at the time that Tony was about six to 10 feet away from Chino when he began shooting from his front stoop. The first shot hit Chino in the stomach.

‘Shot him four or five more times’

“Hector scooched over in the fetal position, but standing, and the guys that were there tried to help and tried to grab him, and Greg pointed the gun and said ‘don’t touch him or I’ll shoot.’ They dispersed and he shot him four or five more times in the head,” she said.

Carrasquillo, now 44, said she got to the nearby scene in time to see her boyfriend being loaded into the back seat of a car for the ride to Episcopal Hospital, where he died at 4:01 p.m., the police report said.

The scene of the shooting, 2828 N. Hutchinson St. Philadelphia Pa.

“Hector didn’t have a weapon on him that I’m aware of, and I never saw him with a weapon,” said Carrasquillo, her voice breaking. “He was an amazing person, loving, caring, protective. He loved his daughter so much. We had plans on getting married in June and we were moving to Puerto Rico and I was gonna continue my business studies. We had this whole life ahead of us and it was taken from us.”

The Philadelphia Daily News reported the slaying two days later under the headline: ‘Joke’ turned sour for 2 pals in North Phila.” The location was described as “a tiny trash-strewn street” at the intersection of Hutchinson and Auburn streets where “graffiti and desperation cover buildings and souls.”

Gregory Tony, Chino and several others were hanging out in front of Tony’s house shortly before 4 p.m. The story says, “Police were uncertain what sparked the killing, but the word on the street was that some light-hearted joking between the two friends had turned ugly.”

Joke goes bad

Norma Rodriguez told the paper that two crack addicts walked by and Chino  joked, “There goes your uncles.”

“Don’t play like that with my family, man,” she said Gregory Tony replied. “He didn’t like that kind of talk.”

Hector “Chino” Rodriguez and his baby daughter, Melanie

William Scott, identified in the Daily News story as Gregory Tony’s father, told the paper that “his son apparently came in the house and grabbed the [.32-caliber] revolver that Scott kept hidden under his mattress.”

“I saw the two of them together 20 minutes earlier,” Scott said. “They was laughing and talking… Next thing I know, I hear shots and see this kid lying in the street. I recognized who it was and I said, ‘God damn it! God damn it!… One hour later, I heard it was my son who did it.’”

Accompanied by his attorney, Gregory Tony turned himself in to the police the next day. A preliminary hearing was held a week later “after testimony by witnesses.” Bail was set at $15,000. Except for Tony’s acquittal, what happened in court after that remains a secret.

Sheriff Tony disputed assertions by Carrasquillo, Norma Rodriguez and newspaper accounts that he and the dead man had been friends.

Tony responds

“The press accounts at the time said we were friends, we were not.  There are quotes from locals speculating on what may have happened.  They were not there. They did not witness the terrified 14 year old boy who thought his and his family’s life was in mortal danger try to protect that family,” Tony wrote in his email to Florida Bulldog

“Surviving this assault inspired me to do work to help others.  The world is filled with violent individuals and brave men and women who protect the innocent against their actions.  This is the essence of law enforcement and is why I have dedicated my life to service in law enforcement.”

Melanie Rodriguez today

In recent years, before Tony became sheriff and when he was running his active shooter training company Blue Spear Solutions in Broward County, both Carrasquillo and her now-grown daughter, Melanie Rodriguez, attempted to communicate with him on Facebook.

“I found him on Facebook and reached out via Messenger. I sent him a whole paragraph on how I knew he was the one that killed my father and I wanted to know why… He read it and he blocked me,” said Rodriguez, who is now married with a family of her own.

Carrasquillo, also married with seven children, wrote to Tony after being encouraged by her supportive husband. She hoped he might write back and say he was sorry.

“It wouldn’t bring Hector back, but it would show he’s remorseful,” said Carrasquillo. “I remember letting everything out, asking him to forgive me for wishing so many bad things on him. ‘For many years I wished you and your family the pain you caused me’ and he blocked me, he never answered me back.”

Gregory Tony’s new life as the sheriff of Broward County was well- known among his friends back in Philadelphia. Carrasquillo said she bumped into his new reputation when she reached out to some of them in search of answers.

“A lot of them out there would say that’s old, you need to leave it where it is. People were saying Gregory is a different person now. He’s a sheriff.

“However, he killed someone. He changed his life. But if he killed over a joke then, now he has a license to carry. A license to kill. Who’s to say someone’s not gonna push his button again and he’ll retaliate?”

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Comments

60 responses to “Sheriff Gregory Tony’s secret: As a teenager, he shot and killed a man”

  1. Did you interview anyone who was there at the time of the incident? The deceased was 18, he was supposedly watching his 5 month old daughter, but was a block or two from his own home when it happened. Where was his daughter?

  2. The fact Tony omitted this on job applications makes it evident he wished to hide it. Law enforcement applications for security clearance compels one to report arrests irrespective of the circumstances or disposition (including sealed cases). Thanks to this reporting, at least the voter gets to see what makes Tony so angry and clearly in need of intense therapy.

  3. Wow Author Dan Christiensen, so this guy is cleared of a shooting from the Police department and you interview the suspect’s family to paint a picture that Sheriff Tony is a murderer. Just another scumbag reporter trying to become something.

  4. Rafael Mendoza Avatar
    Rafael Mendoza

    Gregory Tony’s purposely having left out his arrest record in his employment application, regardless of the final outcome of the case, brands him as a liar, and such is tantamount to intentionally breaching the public trust. I do understand his motive to avoid embarrassment in the public eye and opinions, but it is just not justified, as he can not be trusted with such a prominent position as head of a law enforcement agency. Liars will be liars and can not be trusted. As such, he should resign and accept responsibility and apologize to all the people of Broward County for compromising his integrity. If he resigns, that would be ethical and the right decision. Now we watch how he deals with this issue and see what kind of a person he really is. As for me, I will not be voting for him in 2020.

  5. Wow!

  6. He was found innocent anything they say is unimportant

  7. Don’t read this garbage. It’s bullshit and absolutely disgustingly told. They forgot to mention he was a 14 year old boy at the time defending himself against a grown armed man. Hence why It did not show on his clearances. Murder charges just don’t disappear-meaning he was never charged with murder. Garbage . Absolute garbage . By all means check
    Usjportal for
    The records

  8. Man paid his dues and you pull this bull shit on him.

  9. Edward C. Stengel Avatar
    Edward C. Stengel

    So a killer cop is now the sheriff of Broward county. Why wasn’t he charged with carrying a concealed weapon in addition to murder. Even if he beat the murder charge, he’d still be a convicted felon for carrying a concealed weapon. It’s another great job by the American judicial system.

  10. This explains a lot about Greg Tony:

    -It’s obvious he has a short temper (look how he cursed at his deputies when they questioned his leadership at a fallen officers funeral, and how he suspended the union president when he was called out).

    -Tony is corrupt. His wife runs his PRIVATE company, Blue Spear Solutions, which train in active shoot scenarios. Tony is spending PUBLIC money to build a training facility, with an emphasis on active shooting scenarios. Think his company will profit off this facility?

    -Tony has lied about his credentials. How does an individual whose only leadership experience was overseeing less than 10 individuals become in charge of the second largest sheriffs office in the nation? Tony obviously lied about his accomplishments to Andrew Pollack who unfortunately felt Tony was a decent individual and recommended him to then Governor-elect Ron DeSantis.

    Tony should have disclosed he fact that he killed a man to DeSantis. He obviously did not. DeSantis should give Tony the opportunity to step down, and if not replace him!!!!

  11. A. The man was acquitted;
    B. He came from nothing and managed to graduate from FSU and have a successful career in law enforcement.
    C. What’s the point of slamming him 30 years later.

  12. Robert JAMES Fotheringham Avatar
    Robert JAMES Fotheringham

    What was a 14 year old doing with a gun?

  13. Patti Lynn Avatar

    How ironic. He celebrates HIS “second chance,” yet he refuses to support, nor mandate, Civil Citations for juveniles, nor the Promise Program.
    The prime concern that ANY citizen should have, is his lack of transparency and honesty in his application to be a sworn police officer in the State of Florida. It is made clear to applicants that ALL law enforcement encounters should be disclosed. Several places on those applications reiterate the need for such disclosure.
    Unfortunately, the governor listened to, and relied upon, a grieving Parkland parent, and failed to do his own due diligence. I do not doubt that the governor regrets the appointment, this is just the latest in a series of embarrassing incidents.
    If the governor is truly concerned about the safety and security of BLUE Broward County, he should be investigating a replacement for Sergeant Temporary Tony, or Toney, or Scott-Toney. Perhaps he should wait until the August Primary, and appoint the Democratic winner in the Sheriff’s race. That would assure continuity and remove Tony, (Toney, Scott-Toney), without the governor having to go through a long search for his replacement!

  14. Tony your goose is cooked! I never give two cents about politics but I am definitely gonna do some campaigning this time around. People needs to know about this!. Even your father disagree with your version of the story!!!

  15. Excellent, critical journalism. It’s the kind of story which, if local reporting wasn’t anemically funded, may have come out sooner. Everyone who reads this should donate to this outlet. A small independent nonprofit delivered the news that one of FL’s top elected officials and most powerful law enforcement officials, killed a man an hid it from his constituents –and before that his police department.

  16. UberNazi18E Avatar

    Officer: Sir, fo you know why I had to stop you?

    Civilian: Because you got C’s in high school.

    Officer: Die mother fucker. Die!
    (Shots fired)

  17. Ditto

  18. Complete hit job by a Democrat journo blog, and way over the line to drag sealed juvenile records into a campaign.

  19. perry l glasscock Avatar
    perry l glasscock

    if that story is accurate it is mind boggling he was not charged…………who was the d.a.

  20. I think this story is an absolute “DISGRACE” towards acting Sheriff Tony Gregory!!! But let’s be clear, before I go on, that I am not a fan of ex Sheriff Scott Israel either, as I feel he as “CROKKED AS THEY COME”!!! Let’s start at the beginning, Gregory totally took advantage of his juvenile court case being “SEALED” by the judge, there’s where it all started!!! 1: He then pursued an education of law enforcement. 2: He takes a job at the Coral Springs Police Department, which is not a highly accredited law enforcement agency of the State of Florida in the 1st place, and he “LIES” on his job application, as that was the only way to get hired. It’s quite obvious, that he “NEVER” would have been hired otherwise, and he clearly knew it. 3: He “NEVER” even bothered to tell that to any of Gov. Ron DeSantis associates in Tallahassee, when they advised him of the offer of Sheriff of BSO. 4: AGAIN, he “LIES”, by not mentioning his juvenile court case in his job application to BSO. I don’t know about you, but hiding his killing of another human being, in a position like Sheriff of BSO, is extremely DISTURBING”!!! And again, let’s not “FORGET” his unanswered emails from Maria Rodriguez on Facebook, which I think is totally “UPPALLING”, that he couldn’t at least tell the now grown-up daughter he was truly “SORRY”, so this woman could finally “close the book” on her father’s death!!! In her 1st message, he didn’t reply back about details of the “cold blooded murder”, which I can understand, he didn’t want to relive that horrible day, but I have an issue with not at least being able to tell her he is “SORRY”. I hope he has some kind of training in another career, because I think his career in law enforcement is “OVER”…

  21. Jose Gonzalez Avatar
    Jose Gonzalez

    I don’t understand how an individual has an argument with someone, goes and gets a gun, returns and shoots the person several times and the gets exonerated and have his record sealed? I must be missing something.

    I would like to believe police applications ask applicants to reveal any and all incidents applicants have had involving police encounters. If Sheriff Tony would have revealed this incident in his applications, I bet the police department(s) would have likely passed him for the next qualified applicant. Looks like a good case of omission so now that the cat is out of the bag, I hope Governor DeSantis is taking a good hard look. “Lesson to be learned by Law Enforcement.”

    And yes, elections are forthcoming for Sheriff and Governor..

    At the very least this matter merits further looking into.

    Thank you Channel 10!

  22. MeToo who did not ask to be a MeToo. Help. Avatar
    MeToo who did not ask to be a MeToo. Help.

    This makes me sick. I have asked for the two interrogations and the police report in the BSO office are false; fraud; made up; covered up and considered unfounded. I have notified the BSO Sheriff’s office and was called to give a report that afternoon. (The traumatic event occurred 12 1/2 years before the truth was known and all the surgeries, complications and care have been documented for me. I am not afraid anymore. I expect a call. I expect an unfounded to become founded and exposed.

    March 30, I was so overwhelmed that after 13 years, I am finally reaching the Sheriff’s office and he wanted a victim’s advocate to interview me! So happy. At the end, she said I talked too much. Yes.
    I stopped her when she used words that were not correct that implied something different than what I experienced and knew to be true. She did not like me interrupting me. I have not heard anything from that report. Monday, March 30, 2020. I expect an investigation to clear my name. I have waited patiently and now this article. The defendant in my case had an interview with same sheriff who was holding (hiding) the tapes when I was advised to call for them from Records as I was told they were missing. In three weeks, when I received them, I held them until I was with a professional. I did not know what to expect. We were stunned. Worse than I even expected. Total Fraud. They have been viewed and read and they are lies; manipulating the interrogations with knowledge to cover-up and the police report is a known fact now that the defendant did not give his true identity, perjury ! That Sheriff accepted what I believe she knew, and they smiled and gave a high five. Then he sat back, swallowed his gum and relaxed without answering questions except with more lies. The Sheriff accepted his; tampered my tape as it was cut and pasted. I was determined to get to the residue in my mind. The truth is known. I fell unconscious as my body was forced, manipulated in a 360 degree circle from head to (crouch) from (crouch) to head. I suffered Vertigo and dizziness and my lungs had to be inflated with oxygen as my reading was at 1%. A pulmonary MD ordered the oxygen treatment twice. . .Finally the under and with expert care for 17 months, the unconscious released with an out-of-body vision that brought the first memories into clarity. I was forcibly raped; fought with eyes shut and to exhaustion. Ill-advised and in shock the following 7 months. So wrong. JUSTICE PREVAILS.

  23. Jungle Lotus Avatar
    Jungle Lotus

    It never came up in any background investigations because Tony changed his name to an alias. His real name is Gregory Scott-Toney not Gregory Tony! He started using his alias name to avoid anyone finding out about his arrest record under his true name. Tony is a liar! There was no other gun found at the murder scene that the other kid had as Tony claimed. Tony shot the other kid on the sidewalk, not in his house. Once Tony went into the house, grabbed the gun, loaded the gun, and then rushed back outside and shot the kid that’s premeditated first-degree murder! Tony’s first shot was to the kids abdomen. As other people rushed over to help the kid, Tony shouted to them to get out of the way and then walked over to the kid and put five more rounds in his head. Tony executed the kid pure and simple. Read the Florida Bulldog article. You will then see what they uncovered during their investigation of the incident.

  24. Pure racism, all because he suspended the union president very simple.I bet if u went back 30yrs on him the police union president when he was a kid 14yrs old you would find something on him as well.Don’t worry Sheriff Tony you still have my vote

  25. Why would a “victim” flee the scene, have to lawyer up and hide out till the next day after lawyering up. Hmmmm

  26. This is crazy…if he was found NOT GUILTY as a juvenile yet why are you all trying to Charge Him With A Crime…..I bet you’re the same people that voted for the President….wait aren’t we still waiting on his taxes (Oh, no he’s a saint!!!) The President has a long campaign of inappropriate things he’s done yet your not going for his job…Go away and let that man “Sherriff Tony” do his job. You have my VOTE!

  27. Sheriff Tony did not have to disclose this because he was a juvenile and records were sealed/expunged (it never happened). All you people who are judging him would have done the same thing to survive and protect your family. If he was cleared of charges, why are we talking about this. Police officers kill human beings all the time and aren’t charged because of self-defense/stand your ground. Some people hate the fact that he holds them accountable and he does the right thing. He doesn’t allow others to use him as a puppet. He promoted from within the agency. He is educated, articulate and naturally intelligent. Some people don’t appreciate or like that. He has my vote, my families’ votes and my friends’ votes.

  28. A SFlaHello Avatar

    What a tremendous, tremendous investigative report on this story. I wish there was, once again, this kind of in-depth, journalism. Thank you Mr. Christensen. Btw, one of the TV Channels (I think 7 or 4) showed a copy of Sheriff Tony’s application where two specific questions were asked about whether he was arrested, or ever was a suspect or had been taken in by law enforcement or issued a summons; the checkmark was on the “No.” They will probably re-air tonight and show the application. They may already have it on their website.

  29. Great story, but…14 year old black kid in Philly shoots someone and juvenile investigators expunge it. I’m going with not guilty. And as it is not a crime to kill someone in self defense. So if the record was expunged, why did he have to tell BSO? It’s a juvenile record. Rules are rules. You can’t say Toney can’t play by the because Desantis appointed him. If were going to be fair, let’s talk about Israel’s details at Galeria Mall or why he was fired from his first Chief job.

  30. I’d like to address some of the things “Jungle Lotus” said. First, l’d like to point out I wasn’t there, so I don’t know what actually happened, and no one else commenting was either. All we can do is look at the original article critically and read between the lines.

    Jungle Lotus says Tony changed his name, that his real name is “Scott-Toney.” There is absolutely no evidence this is true. This, from the Sun-Sentinel: “Tony’s birth certificate included in his Coral Springs Police job application shows his full name is Gregory Scott Tony; his father’s last name is Scott and his mother’s last name is Tony.” It appears there was a mistake when the original article was written, and subsequent articles in that newspaper carried over that mistake.

    Jungle Lotus says no gun was found at the crime scene. There is no way of knowing if there was or wasn’t a gun found because there are no police records. All there is to go on is the original article.

    Carrasquillo, the girlfriend, says in this article “Hector didn’t have a weapon on him that I’m aware of, and I never saw him with a weapon.” Here we have an “that I’m aware of” and “I never saw him with.” Neither of these are proof he didn’t have a gun at the time of this incident. In fact, the original article says “When Carrasquiollo first saw police cars…she feared Chino had been arrested. Family members said the boy had been named in bench warrants steaming from a past drug-related incident…while holding a loaded gun.” I think it’s far more likely that he did have a gun than to think this guy didn’t have one.

    Jungle Lotus says “Once Tony went into the house, grabbed the gun, loaded the gun, and then rushed back outside and shot the kid that’s premeditated first-degree murder!” There is no evidence the gun wasn’t already loaded. The original article states “Scott couldn’t recall if the gun was loaded at the time.” I think we can safely assume that if he got a gun “for protection against the neighborhood,” as Scott states, it’s pretty unlikely he would keep it unloaded. Anyone who lives in that kind of neighborhood (or any neighborhood, for that matter) would know they wouldn’t have time to load a gun if someone dangerous broke in.

    Jungle Lotus says “Tony’s first shot was to the kids abdomen. As other people rushed over to help the kid, Tony shouted to them to get out of the way and then walked over to the kid and put five more rounds in his head.” This is not information from a police report, it is second-hand information from the girlfriend, who was not there. There is nothing in this or the original article from any actual witnesses. You need to look closely at the language used in the original article. Most of the account comes from Rodriguez’s mother Norma, who did not witness the incident, once again, second-hand information. The father says his son “apparently” came inside the house – he wasn’t there either. What I’m trying to say is, there is no first-hand account, no police report, just conjecture. As the original article says states, it’s all based on “the word on the street.” I wouldn’t want my fate to be determined by “the word on the street,” would you?

    The fact is, something bad happened that day, and when it was looked at by law enforcement it was determined that Tony had committed no crime, and had in fact been justified in what he had done.
    And he’s not some rich white kid either – we all know poor black kids in these kinds of neighborhoods don’t usually get the benefit of the doubt from the police, and more often than not they are charged with crimes they didn’t commit, making this even more of a statement.

    So, Jungle Lotus, when you say “Read the Florida Bulldog article. You will then see what they uncovered during their investigation of the incident,” I say, I did read the article, and I did see what they uncovered: a lot of speculation and conjecture about a minor who did what he needed to at the time to defend himself and his family. I suggest you, Jungle Lotus, reread this article and the original article with these facts in mind and I feel you will see things in a different light.

  31. Records sponged doesn’t mean he killed a human bean. His own father stated they were talking on the front. God knows what happened. Will you think the same as if the person killed was a family member of yours? 100 % NOT. They can’t use the records but now that is out there is a difference story. I used to like him but no more.

  32. Doesn’t Florida law allows you to deny that your expunged or sealed arrest ever occurred? Did a quick search and found the actual language of the statute:

    [Expungement] The person who is the subject of a criminal history record that is expunged under this section or under other provisions of law . . . may lawfully deny or fail to acknowledge the arrests covered by the expunged record.

    [Sealing] The subject of a criminal history record sealed under this section or under other provisions of law . . . may lawfully deny or fail to acknowledge the arrests covered by the sealed record.

  33. Get a life and stop trying to harass hardworking individuals at work. The only reason he’s getting this much hassle is because he’s a black man in a powerful leadership position. Anything to bring him down is truly a reflection of the underlying racism still blatant. It even said a lot if the so called police gang not even sticking for their own kind. Shame on you for wasting your time trying to assassinate a man’s character.

  34. This is the end of Tony’s political career… he just lost the election…

  35. Edward A Crespo Avatar
    Edward A Crespo

    Clearly, we are in “Uncharted Territory” here! There has NEVER been a scenario like this in the history of law enforcement! The questions regarding the “aggravating” AND “mitigating” circumstances are as follows:
    1) Did the Philly police ever recover the gun that Sheriff Tony alleges Rodriguez had?
    2) WHO was the lawyer Tony hired to represent him during the investigation and who PAID for that lawyer’s services? Some lawyers have a LOT MORE “INFLUENCE” with the police and the prosecutor’s office than others!
    3) How much effort was made by the police/prosecutor to locate and interview the witnesses that allegedly saw the shooting and what, if any, statements were given? As we all know, if there are 10 witnesses to an incident, those 10 witnesses will likely give 10 DIFFERENT VERSIONS of what happened!
    4) Why did the victim’s family NOT file a wrongful death lawsuit? Shouldn’t they have?
    5) Did Rodriguez have a prior juvenile or adult criminal record? If so, what for?
    6) As the court records have been sealed, can we EVER really know the WHOLE truth?

    What IS known is that regardless of any other facts or circumstances, Sheriff Tony was NOT truthful on his employment application. Yes – he was a juvenile at the time he killed Rodriguez, Yes – the court records were sealed which is virtually ALWAYS the case where a juvenile is involved, (unless he is adjudicated guilty), but regardless, the undeniable facts confirm that he WAS initially arrested after the shooting and THAT was one of the questions on his application! So “technically,” he DID lie about it. But I think we are in a “GRAY AREA” here. The question of his honesty relative to his answers on the employment application can NEVER BE DISREGARDED! Clearly, he KNEW that question would be on the application just as surely as he KNEW his answer would be “NO”! What he SHOULD have done was to consult with an attorney prior to filling out the application! Was he required to reveal something that happened when he was a juvenile? Even though his record was expunged and the file sealed by the court, it DID happen! So you see….”Gray Area.” But he DID make one really DUMB “error in judgment.” HE should have considered the possibility that SOME DAY, (like TODAY, for instance), the “cat would be out of the bag” and the whole thing would go public! AND IT DID!!! Now what, Sheriff Tony? Your public image and reputation “Lies in Ruins”! Your credibility is ZERO! Your own deputies voted “No Confidence” in you even BEFORE anyone knew about your past history! AND TO TOP IT ALL OFF…WHAT’S UP WITH THOSE PHOTOGRAPHS OF YOU AND THE SEMI-NAKED GIRLS AT CLUB BLISS??? By the way, how much does a membership cost? Does it include the girls? You claim your opponents are “politically motivated” to get you out of office and are engaging in a “smear campaign” against you… but YOU gave them EVERYTHING they needed to be successful! Sometimes there IS NO “DAMAGE CONTROL” possible! You have likely destroyed your own career with your bad decisions and lapse in judgment!

  36. Lets vote them out Avatar
    Lets vote them out

    Nicholas Cruz for Sheriff!!

  37. Sheriff Tony was a 14 year old kid that was involved in a very unfortunate circumstance. He was found not guilty and his record was expunged. That almost 30 years ago. Clearly, this is witch hunt to try and discredit the kind of man Sheriff Tony has become and all the good he has done and still does on a daily basis for his officers, community, and county. The article that was published about the incident was based on speculation of individuals who were not present. Sheriff Tony proves himself everyday how much he really cares about people. The haters on this site are clearly angry with him because he holds people accountable for their actions, such as the Stoneman Douglas high school shootings, and the firing of corrupt police officers. If Sheriff Tony was a 14 year old rich white kid from Greenwich, CT no one would have ever question his motives. Leave the man alone and let him continue to do the awesome job he does everyday!!!

  38. I grow up in Philly in the same neighborhood as Sheriff Tony. So I know 1st hand what he was dealing with at that time. I left Philly when I was 20yrs old joined the US Navy. He was given a true chance to make it out of Philly his records at age 14 was sealed for a reason to give him that chance and he did an excellent. I myself work in public safety and when you get hired the three things you can’t change is fingerprints, date of birth and social security number. When his agencies done a background check that shooting incident would have surface but it didn’t. Do not destroy this man for a political reason. Someone saved his life if not he would have been another young black dead or in jail.

  39. Two things leftists hate…justice (found not guilty) and self defense. This is their attempt to “Bork/Kavanaugh” the Sheriff, plain and simple.

  40. Elisabeth Rossen, MBA, MAcc, CFE Avatar
    Elisabeth Rossen, MBA, MAcc, CFE

    We are very fortunate to have as extraordinary talented and committed of an investigative journalist, in our community, as Dan Christensen.

    The abusive manner in which Tony Gregory treated law enforcement officers pleading for adequate protective equipment (And the union leader) was a huge red flag of an unacceptable temperament for a sheriff; particularly in the high risk covid-19 environment.

    Thank you Dan for illuminating in a timely manner that further investigation is promptly needed of the fitness of Gregory Tony to remain Sheriff.

    Dan has shown us a copy of the sworn statement that Sheriff Gregory signed four months ago failing to disclose that he had a sealed case.

    Dan is one of the very few investigative journalists in the State of Florida acknowledged By the Florida Bar as having distinguished himself in the pursuit of truth and justice in finding and reporting on a plethora of super sealed/off the record court cases in Florida, over a decade ago.

    Again, Dan, thank you for your ongoing relentless efforts in seeking and reporting the hidden truth.

  41. Idon't Givemyname Online Avatar
    Idon’t Givemyname Online

    You would think people taking the time to comment would actually READ articles BEFORE posting inane drivel… but nope… no such luck. Comments like “what was a 14yr old doing with a gun”, and “he would be a convicted felon carrying a concealed weapon”, etc… for those slow on the uptake:
    1. The gun did not belong to him but the homeowner. He was in HIS home when an armed individual came into HIS home. He grabbed the gun and defended himself. Since when is that EVER been a crime?
    2. One must be CONVICTED not ARRESTED in order to be guilty of a felony, misdemeanor, or anything else FFS.
    As far as this man’s performance as Sheriff? No idea… don’t really follow his career. I live in an area of S. Florida outside Broward County Sheriff’s jurisdiction… so I have no dog in this fight. I just hate when people don’t bother to take the time to read and then jump to conclusions based on no data whatsoever. This is a sign of the times unfortunately. The instant gratification, no information, no interest in learning society… and it’s mostly people of my generation and the following one guilty of it,and teaching their children to be the same way. As a famous liar said (many times): “sad”.

  42. If he were armed than how did Gregory Tony have enough time to go inside the house, find the gun from it’s hiding place, go back outside shoot the victim,tell the other guys to move away from the victim ,and shoot 4-5 more times.That showed calculation not fear.They were standing outside in front of witnesses and the only one who claimed the victim was armed was the shooter.After he pulled the trigger the first time he could’ve ran in his house for safety because the victim was shot in the abdomen and no longer a threat at that point. I think what really happened was the victim made a joke other people around laughed, Gregory Tony being young and wanting to show how tough he was despite his age went into the house got a gun and shot the victim to show him that he wasn’t going to embarrass him in the streets.He states he killed an armed man,but why the need for overkill if he wasn’t charging at you.He lawyered up real quick for a 14 year old leading me to believe his family was well familiar with the court system and had money for a private attorney.He also passed a lie detector test in order to be considered for the police force.They do ask of previous arrests and if he passed then he’s a sociopath with no concsience.

  43. He was not convicted so he wa under no law to divulge this, more dirty politic to try and taint a man who has worked hard to keep us safe.try reporting on the real evil going on in this county.

  44. Amonfils E davilien Avatar
    Amonfils E davilien

    Only mr tony and god know the true at that age mr tony may not has capacitor to thinking in orther part someone may take someone life if know he/ her personality that happen to me i hard my ex girlfriend when i met her she stated to me she as no kids later i discover she connect money from irs and stated to irs she as a daughter with her late husband and she file income tax with the child name and reiceve compensation for the decade husband and child never exist because i descovery her secrets she try to kill me or lock me behin barr to conseal her secrets. Her sister give advised to do that She used her might making police report everyday and i never know that then when i know she did it was to late only one thing i condemned law enforcement and s tate attorney” state should investigate her to know for why should use knowledge kept making police report her name is marie nicole dor she change her as marie nicole marseille husband name edouard dor all are negative unexited child name valerie dor

  45. Amonfils E davilien Avatar
    Amonfils E davilien

    Only god know if sheriff tony did right or wrong

  46. Amonfils E davilien Avatar
    Amonfils E davilien

    As bs criminal justice, what i learn from criminal field justice is for all Mr tony should tell true on is paperwork.

  47. Amonfils E davilien Avatar
    Amonfils E davilien

    At age 14 tony may not has knowlege to thinking before shot the man. But in other issues sometimes if someone konw each other screts one might kill and then claimed selfdefence as law give access.

  48. Amonfils E davilien Avatar
    Amonfils E davilien

    Base in my. Pass i come to us i hard no parent, i spook no english i push myself in school and i accomplished my goals. Now i am a bs criminal justice & master business administration. I credit tony for what he is today because his dreams come though. But the other family. Victim lose for ever

  49. Amonfils E davilien Avatar
    Amonfils E davilien

    I we reading Mr governor desantis heart you see how he feel when parkland shooting as aperent its very sad. I didn’t. Know mr gov desantis but when the parkland shooting happened i saw how he handed the situation. Me personally last year march 31,2019 a bad guy shot and kill my 22 year old son. I wrote mr. Gov desantis letter by tell him that in his response he condolence me i see how he feel. Last word i can say mr desantis he his a great gov

  50. Amonfils E davilien Avatar
    Amonfils E davilien

    I whant to conclude that with sheriff tony sometimes telling true pushing you though the gound but prefer telling true as i learn from you study criminalogy it is one part in my field. I am study full criminal justice parts but you have make mistakes on fdle forms people may jalous for position. Based in my reference i hard my exgirlfrend because i accomplished my goals and she as secret who can place her imprisonment. She jalous for degrees i has and she state that she want all my degrees turn trash and gabage

  51. This is unbelievable, this is racism and this is foolish. South Florida will do almost anything to bring down an Africa American Man.
    All the South Floridians’, stop bashing the Broward Sheriff. Start asking yourself “what is the your Governor doing to protect you and your kids’? What is your President doing to protect your family?
    No, you don’t care, if they get richer and powerful each day at your expense.
    South Florida stop acting like this never happened before…Sheriff Tony played the “white man” rules and WON !!!!
    Get over it !!!”

  52. Admitted felony drug user (LSD) , admitted murdering a friend then leaving the scene , changing his name and covering up his ARREST for 27 years! If it really was self defense why doesn’t the report match his hoax version? Why not just admit you were arrested and charged with homicide as REQUIRED by Florida Law on the FDLE forms, which listing your arrests is not optional? Because he’s a gang banging ghetto con artist that’s why. This temper tantrum low IQ psycho routinely falsified sworn police applications for 27 years. Once he panicked and Shot out a sliding glass door window while on police duty answering a domestic violence call in Coral Springs. Time bomb waiting to go off ….again!

  53. if that story is accurate it is mind boggling he was not charged…………who was the d.a.

  54. […] ergibt sich aus Enthüllungen während des letztjährigen Wahlkampfs, die der Demokrat Tony hatte hat als Teenager einen Mann erschossen in Philadelphia und log auf eine eidesstattliche Erklärung, Sheriff zu […]

  55. […] خلال حملة العام الماضي عن السيد توني ، وهو ديمقراطي أطلق النار وقتل رجل في سن المراهقة في فيلادلفيا وكذب على إفادة خطية ليصبح […]

  56. […] sheriff to fill a vacancy last year, the Miami Herald reports. The Florida Bulldog published a story Saturday detailing the shooting and raising questions about what […]

  57. […] FDLE launched an investigation into Tony, 43, after the Florida Bulldog, a local news website, reported in May 2020 that he had fatally shot an 18-year-old neighbor with […]

  58. […] investigation while Sheriff Tony was running for election in 2020 and news broke of his arrest for murder in 1993 when he was 14 years […]

  59. […] That was six months after the Florida Bulldog website reported that Tony, then 14, fatally shot an 18-year-old neighbor during a 1993 fight at his family’s home using his father’s gun. He was charged with murder, but was acquitted in juvenile court after arguing self-defense. Tony never disclosed the shooting during his career, even when required, saying he did not see the need because of his acquittal. […]

  60. […] was six months later The Florida Bulldog website announced that 14-year-old Tony shot dead an 18-year-old neighbor using his father’s weapon in a fight […]

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