JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — An officer was shot and two arrests were made in a September SWAT operation in Northwest Jacksonville. Now, the woman who fired a gun at police is speaking out through her attorney, and we're hearing the 911 audio from that night.
Diamonds Ford, 28, remains in jail in Duval County following the September 28 joint operation between the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and the Drug Enforcement Agency that led to the execution of a search warrant at the home where she was staying.
On that day, reports from law enforcement show both JSO SWAT officers and DEA agents serving a search warrant at 7232 Rutledge Pearson Dr. near Ken Knight Drive. Both Ford and her fiancée Anthony Gantt were arrested.
According to Ford's arrest report, "The warrant was a DEA search warrant, based on narcotics activity occurring over several months, involving the residence."
Now, Ford's attorney, Stephen Kelly, is speaking out on her behalf as she remains in jail awaiting trial.
Kelly said Ford told him she was awoken that morning to a window in the home being broken and loud noises coming from outside. He said she shot out the window, believing someone was attempting to burglarize the home.
The bullet hit an officer who was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
According to Kelly, Ford went inside the bathroom after firing the shot and called 9-1-1. In the recording, Ford, out of breath, can be heard telling the dispatcher her address and asking for police to be sent before realizing JSO was attempting to make an entry.
"Someone's shooting," she tells the dispatcher. Then, officers can be heard outside saying, "Open the front door."
Ford can be heard saying, "Oh wait, that's the Sheriff's Office?" as officers make entry into the home.
"She's afraid, that's the very first thing that you can hear," Kelly said. "What you don't hear is you don't hear the police announcing themselves. You don't hear that until sometime later, and then as soon as you hear them announce themselves, you know what she does? She completely complies."
On Your Side's Crime and Safety expert Mark Baughman, who spent years with the DEA and has extensive experience in high-risk search warrants like the one executed that day, said he believes Ford knew what was happening.
"It's hard to fire a weapon out of a window if you don't know what you're looking at," Baughman said.
"My belief is is that when that weapon was discharged, she knew who she was shooting at," he added. "There's no doubt in my mind. And I can base that on my experience, as well as internal information I'm receiving from law enforcement sources."
Kelly said the call was presented to the court in a bond hearing for Ford, but that her bond was not reduced.
He said he is unaware of any body worn camera (BWC) footage from the incident. While the arrest report cites BWC, the sheriff's office was not able to fulfill a request for the footage due to the active investigation.
Neither JSO nor the state attorney's office spoke publicly when asked for comment because the investigation is ongoing.
Both Ford and Gantt remain in jail, with Ford facing charges related to the shooting of the officer and possession of marijuana with intent to sell.
More evidence from the incident is expected to be released as the investigation continues.