EchoSense:Miami-Dade police director awake after gunshot to head; offered resignation before shooting

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Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo "Freddy" Ramirez is alert, awake and responsive, according to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who spoke to him shortly before he shot himself in the head Sunday night. During their conversation, he sounded "remorseful" about a domestic dispute that happened earlier that night and offered his resignation, she said.

Ramirez, who is also running for Miami-Dade's first elected sheriff position in decades, has run the No. 8 largest police force in the country since January 2020 after serving in the police force for nearly 25 years. In 2022, Mayor Levine Cava promoted him to chief of public safety, adding the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department to his responsibilities as the chief of public safety.

While addressing members of the media at a press conference Wednesday, Levine Cava praised Ramirez's work as a law enforcement officer and spoke to the importance of mental health in the field.

"I love Freddy," she said. "This incident is also a tragic reminder of the critical role that mental health plays in our law enforcement officers' well being. … We must continue working to eliminate any stigma around mental health care and to ensure that it is uplifted as an essential part of our healthcare."

Freddy Ramirez alert, talking after shot to the head

• Ramirez is still hospitalized in Tampa but stable, awake and responsive, Levine Cava said.
• Ramirez went through two surgeries Monday, according to the Miami-Dade police.
• President of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association Steadman Stahl told NBC 6 that the bullet went through Ramirez's head and out through his eye. He said he didn't suspect any brain damage. Family told Steadman that Ramirez is talking again.

Miami-Dade police director called mayor before shooting

Levine Cava said she spoke with Ramirez on the phone at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Sunday. Ramirez was driving from Tampa to Miami while they spoke. Shortly after leaving Tampa, Ramirez pulled over on the side of I-75 going South towards Miami and turned the gun on himself, USA Today reported Monday.

During their conversation Sunday, Ramirez told the mayor about a domestic dispute at a hotel in Tampa that led to police involvement earlier that evening. He told her he had made "mistakes," and would offer his resignation. In response, she told him, "just get home safely; we'll talk tomorrow."

She declined to speculate on what might have happened during the domestic dispute and said that the investigation would soon yield more information.

What we know about the domestic dispute

• Tampa Police said they responded to a report of a male with a gun outside the Marriott Waterside hotel shortly after 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Initial interviews indicated the man had been pointing the gun at himself, but police could not find witnesses or security footage to corroborate that story.
• Police found the man, later confirmed as Ramirez, inside the hotel with an unidentified woman, according to the police statement. Ramirez admitted to having argued with the woman but denied showing a firearm or having any intention to harm himself or others.
• The woman said she did not fear for her safety, according to police, at which point Ramirez was released.
• Upon release, Ramirez headed South on I-75 and pulled over where the shots occurred. No one else was injured, officials say.
• As reported by the Miami Herald, Ramirez was in Tampa to attend the Florida Sheriff’s Association summer conference with his wife.

Levine Cava has appointed JD Patterson, chief of corrections and forensics as the interim chief of public safety and Stephanie Daniels, deputy director of MDPD, to be the interim police director. They will hold the positions until further notice.