It was 8 a.m. on a Monday morning when Diamonds Ford and her fiancé, Anthony Gantt, were jolted awake by the sound of shattering glass and men breaking into their home.
Gantt handed Ford her .45 caliber and she fired seven times before running into the bathroom with her phone and calling 911, pleading with the dispatcher to send help.
That was the officers at the door identified themselves as officers from the Jacksonville Sherif’s Office – which was when both Ford and Gantt surrendered.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it was assisting the federal Drug Enforcement Administration in serving a “high risk search warrant” on September 28, 2020 to search for narcotics when they were fired upon. One officer was shot in the chest but was saved by his bulletproof vest.
The cops ended up seizing just over four ounces of weed which would be a misdemeanor in certain states. The arrest report makes no mention of any scales or baggies or any other indicator they were trafficking in marijuana. All it says was that 124.7 grams of marijuana was found which is about 4.39 ounces.
Nevertheless, the couple have been in jail nearly two months on felony charges of attempted murder of a police officer and armed possession of marijuana with the intent to sell.
However, the recording of her conversation with the 911 dispatcher makes it clear she had no idea it was law enforcement officers breaking into her home. Her tone on the phone went from being terrified of being killed by the men breaking into her home to being confused as to why cops were breaking into her home.
“Wait, that’s the sheriff’s office?” Ford says seconds after the deputies identified themselves.
“I’m opening the door!” she tells the officers. “You got the wrong house!”
The recording which can be listened to in the clip above was obtained by Ford’s attorneys who were interviewed by News4Jax:
“She had no idea it was law enforcement in her home. Once they made their announcement she complied,” said Stephen Kelly, Ford’s attorney.
Ford’s attorneys Wade Rolle and Kelly said she didn’t know the police were at her front door and she shot in self-defense and wants to come home to her family.
News4Jax Crime and Safety Expert Ken Jefferson listened to the call.
“It does not appear in my opinion that she knew that the police were out there or that she wanted to take a shot at the police or try to fend them off,” Jefferson said. “It’s clear based on the recording she just felt that someone was breaking into her house, protecting herself and her property of which she is allowed to do by law.”
Police say they announced their presence through a loud speaker before they tried to break in but even if that is true, the couple said they were sleeping and only woke up to the sound of shattering glass.
And even if it is true, it still does not justify breaking into their home under the pretense of a “high profile search warrant” for four ounces of weed that could easily have been their personal stash.
The arrest report states that officers were wearing body cameras but no footage has been released.
