Florida sheriff seen half-naked with topless women at erotic party had killed man when he was JUST 14 years old
Broward County's interim sheriff Gregory Tony has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. While Tony is currently in a high-profile race for sheriff, reports have surfaced that he killed a man using his father's revolver when he was 14 in Philadelphia.
The 41-year-old kept the secret for many years. The killing took place in 1993 and saw the death of Hector Rodriguez, an 18-year-old.
"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 to the Florida Bulldog.
"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," he continued in the email.
"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," he added.
However, Tony's version of the event is disputed by the victim's girlfriend, who said that the victim was unarmed and the shooting had taken place because of an argument that had broken out between the two. Maritza Carrasquillo, who was 17 when she was dating Rodriguez, said, "I will never forget his face, never, ever."
Rodriguez's mother Norma, who is now 64 and lived a block away from the shooting scene, said, "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."
As per the police report, Rodriguez was shot multiple times in the head and body. Maritza shared that she was told Hector was shot in the stomach first.
She revealed, "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."
Now, Tony is defending himself over allegations that he should have disclosed that he fatally shot someone.
Over the weekend, Tony had told reporters that he did not find it necessary or see the need to disclose the 1993 killing to Governor Ron DeSantis who appointed him to replace another sheriff or in any of the other applications during his law enforcement career.
Tony did not reveal his Philadelphia arrest on murder and firearms charges on forms that he was required to fill out in order to become a law enforcement officer in Coral Springs around 10 years ago.
He was later appointed sheriff in January 2019 when the governor suspended the elected sheriff, Scott Israel. An investigation showed that several of Israel's deputies refused to enter the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where former student Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people and injured 17 others.
Tony was appointed to take over the Broward County Sheriff's Office and is currently in a high-profile race for sheriff. His supporters believe that he has become the target of people playing dirty politics.
We previously reported that the sheriff was seen half-naked in racy pictures where he was partying alongside topless women wearing pasties. In the pictures, Tony was seen attending swinger parties in Miami and sporting some un-sheriff like poses. Tony believes that the leak of these private photos was the work of his political opponent Scott Israel.
In a statement, his campaign shared, "This is another attempt by Scott Israel to smear Sheriff Tony’s name and reputation. He tried to depict Sheriff Tony as nothing more than a black kid with a gun, but it backfired because most people see his struggles growing up among violence as an inspirational story of what you can accomplish with hard work and determination no matter where you start."
"Now, Israel is stooping even lower by releasing pictures that instead of just attacking the sheriff, include his wife in an attempt to embarrass and slander her. Broward County voters will see past these disgraceful political tactics."