Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo "Freddy" Ramirez attempted suicide on July 23rd, and there are now new revelations as to the incidents that occurred leading up to the moment he shot himself.
Although the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Highway Patrol have launched a joint investigation into the incident, newly released bodycam footage and the frantic 911 calls released by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office paint a better picture as to what ensued before and after the shooting.
What happened at the Marriott hotel?
Ramirez had been attending the Florida Sheriff's Association's annual summer conference at the Marriott hotel when the initial altercation occurred.
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Ramirez was handcuffed and questioned after officers responded to reports of a man putting a gun to his head but was let go hours before he shot himself, according to new police reports and body camera footage.
The reports released Wednesday detail Tampa Police's response to the alleged gun incident involving Ramirez at the Marriott hotel on July 23.
According to the reports, an unknown witness had seen Ramirez arguing with his wife, Jody, before Ramirez pulled out a gun and either put it to his head or in his mouth and allegedly said "I'm going to end it all today."
Hotel security was alerted before officers responded to the hotel around 6:30 p.m. and were led to the 12th floor room where Ramirez and his wife had gone, the reports said.
"A verbal argument could be heard in the hallway between an unknown male and female but no specific threats were heard by officers," an officer noted in one report.
Officers approached the room, one with a ballistic shield, as they announced "Tampa Police" and knocked on the door, the reports said.
Jody Ramirez came out of the room, followed by her husband, the reports said.
The reports said Ramirez had to be told multiple times to show his hands because he kept putting them down near his waistline, before he was placed in handcuffs.
“You know I’m the director of the Miami-Dade Police Department?” Ramirez is heard saying in the bodycam footage before questioning who called the cops.
“I didn’t do anything, I don’t understand,” he said as he was being placed in handcuffs.
Jody Ramirez told the officers she and her husband had been arguing and that they knew how to "push each other's buttons," the reports said.
"She stated that her and her husband were just having a conversation which began downstairs in the street, regarding 'stuff going on,'" one report read.
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She also told officers she had been drinking that day, which she said she normally doesn't do, and at one point asked "Is this real?" the reports said.
"He has plenty of demons from the job, as you guys all are probably aware of," Jody Ramirez said, according to the report. "I know every button to push and I'm pushing them today because I normally don't drink. He got me on Old Fashions (an alcoholic beverage), it's his fault."
She told police at first that she wasn't sure if Ramirez had pulled out a gun, then later said he never pulled a gun out, the reports said.
She said the argument never got physical, and said Ramirez hadn't made threats to harm her, the reports said.
"I explained to her that there was a process which we have to go through. She was understanding and stated, 'I would be 100% truthful, if I was in danger or he was doing something,'" an officer wrote in one report. "I explained that there were cameras out in the area where the argument began, outside the hotel, and explained to her that we didn't want to pull camera footage and see him taking the gun and she stated, 'He has a temper.'"
Ultimately, officers couldn't locate any first-hand witnesses or security footage showing the alleged gun incident, officials said.
And when Ramirez was questioned, he denied pulling out his gun, the reports said.
"The male advised he was armed but did not remove his firearm. I asked the subject if he wanted to harm himself or others and advised he did not. I further asked the subject if he had any suicidal thoughts, and he advised he did not," an officer wrote in one report.
What happened after the altercation at the hotel?
After Ramirez left the hotel, he and his wife were driving south on Interstate 75 in Hillsborough when he pulled over and shot himself, authorities said.
In a 911 call released Wednesday, Jody Ramirez is heard pleading for help from the side of the highway.
The 6-and-a-half minute call released Wednesday by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office revealed the frantic moments when Ramirez shot himself that Sunday night.
The 911 call was placed at 9:16 p.m. near Mile Marker 244 on the highway.
"Oh my God, help me!" Ramirez's wife is heard screaming. "Help me, help me, help me!"
Though portions are redacted, Ramirez's wife is heard telling the dispatcher that Ramirez is awake and that the gun he used is in his vehicle, a Ford Expedition. At one point, she tells the dispatcher that Ramirez went onto the highway.
"He just went out into traffic," Ramirez's wife tells the dispatcher.
"Don't run after him, I need you to stay away from him," the dispatcher responds. "Don't go after him you hear me?"
"No, I need your help and I need it now!" she responds.
At another point in the call, the dispatcher tells Ramirez's wife to try to get something on his wound.
"He's not letting me," she responds.
The dispatcher continues to advise her to be safe, assuring her that rescue workers are responding, as she continued to scream for help.
What is the latest on Freddy's condition?
After the shooting, Ramirez was rushed to a Tampa-area hospital and underwent surgery.
He remains hospitalized, and though authorities said Ramirez didn’t suffer brain damage, he will likely lose his right eye.
What we know about the Ramirez family
Freddy and his wife Jody got married in 1995, the same year he joined the joined the Miami-Dade Police Department as a beat cop.
They are high school sweethearts.
In the nearly 30 years he has served the Miami-Dade community, they have stood together as he rose through the ranks working every beat from criminal and special investigations, to homicide, robbery, special victims, agriculture, street violence task force, among others.
Earlier this year Ramirez had announced he would run for sheriff in 2024 to try to keep his position as head of the police department.
Together they have four kids. Their son, Brandon, followed his father's footsteps and is serving as a sergeant for MDPD.
