Diamonds Ford has been released on bond after mistakenly shooting a SWAT officer last year during what she thought was a home invasion.
The 28-year-old woman is still facing attempted murder charges in Florida stemming from the shooting on September 28th during a joint narcotics investigation between Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Agency.
The agencies executed their search warrant just before 8 a.m. at Ford’s home, where she resided with her fiancée Anthony Gantt. The couple was asleep when officers arrived. Ford did not realize that law enforcement officers were at her home. Instead, she believed that the house was being burglarized once she heard glass breaking. She fired her weapon in self-defense, striking Detective R.M. Nauss several times. He returned fire but did not injure Ford. Nauss was wearing a bullet-proof vest, protecting him from serious injury as well. Ford dialed 911 to report that a home invasion was taking place. However, while on the phone, the woman realized that it was actually SWAT officers, with whom she immediately complied.
Up until now, Ford was being held on a $535,000 bond. Luckily, various organizations came together to raise the money for her bail. Her attorney, Stephen Kelly, is calling for all charges against her to be dropped.
“Miss Ford, just hearing her voice, she was in fear,” Kelly said during a news conference outside the Duval County Courthouse. “She thought she was going to die that day.”
Ford has maintained that she never heard the officers announce themselves, despite the arrest report claiming that they used a loudspeaker to declare their presence before entering.
Tray Johns, the executive director of Dignity Power, an organization that helps formerly incarcerated women, is also pleading for Ford’s charges to be dropped.
“You don’t allow Black women to protect themselves. So we are here to ask you to protect Black women,” Johns said. “We drove from all over the country, and in six days, we raised over half a million dollars for a Black woman.”
Ford said she felt “blessed” when speaking with CBS Jacksonville affiliate WJAX-TV following her release.
“I feel blessed Dignity Power did their thing, coming together in women empowerment to even get enough money to get me out. I am very appreciative.”
Other organizations that came together to help raise the money for her bond include The National Bail Fund Network and The Minnesota Freedom Fund.
Anthony Gantt remains in jail on a $350,000 bond. Attorneys have filed a motion to reduce his bond. In addition to their attempted murder of a law enforcement charge, both Ford and Gantt were charged with armed possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute.
Much love to Diamonds and her family. FL states attorney needs to #DropTheCharges