DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - A police report and newly surfaced body camera video provide some new details about a confrontation between Tampa officers and Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez III hours before he tried to take his own life.
The 22 pages of reports from Tampa Police shed light on how responding officers handled the call involving a man threatening himself with a gun at the JW Marriott Hotel, on July 23.
That man turned out to be Ramirez.
The bodycam video captures police officers outside Ramirez’s hotel room.
“Tampa Police! Tampa Police! Come out with your hands up. Hands up!” an officer is heard saying.
In the hallway, police said, officers could hear a loud argument from a 12th-floor room.
Requesting a unit with a shield, officers announced themselves, and a woman later identified as Jody Ramirez came out of the room.
According to the police report, “The male subject then exited the room and had to be told multiple times to show his hands, as he kept putting his hands down near his waistline.”
The bodycam video showed an officer placing Ramirez in handcuffs.
“What are you doing? All right. You know, I’m the director of the Miami-Dade Police Department,” Ramirez is heard telling officers.
Once in cuffs, Ramirez continued speaking with officers.
“Sir, sir, are we good?” said an officer.
“Gentlemen, please. Am I good?” said Ramirez.
“Can you, um, do you have any identification on you?” said an officer.
“Yes, sir, in my room, in my wallet,” said Ramirez. “I was just talking to my wife. Man, I didn’t do anything man, please. Freddy Ramirez. If you write a report, you guys are going to blow my ass up. I didn’t do anything, please.”
The report states a gun was seen in its holster under a chair in the room.
“Did you display the gun at all?” said an officer.
“No, no, sir, OK? We had a discussion,” said Ramirez.
“What was the discussion about, sir?” said an officer.
“Nothing, just talking about marriage stuff. We’re good,” said Ramirez.
“Marriage stuff?” said an officer.
“That’s all,” said Ramirez.
“Troubled marriage right now?” said an officer.
“No, we’re good. We’re good,” said Ramirez.
“Did voices get loud?” said an officer.
“No, yes, we were talking but nothing else, sir. Please, please, don’t do this to me, I’m here for the sheriff’s conference,” said Ramirez.
Pulled to the other end of the hallway, Jody Ramirez told the officer who was questioning her that it was an argument about “private stuff.”
“We’re just having a heated conversation, we’re fine,” said Jody Ramirez.
Since the initial call was to report a man threatening to shoot himself, the officer wanted to make sure there was no threat.
“Did it get physical at any point?” said the officer.
“No, at all,” said Jody Ramirez.
“Did he make any threats at any point?” said the officer.
“No, no,” said Jody Ramirez.
“That he wanted to…” said the officer
“No, nothing like that,” said Jody Ramirez.
“Did he take the gun out and wave it in any fashion? Point it at himself, point it at you?” said the officer.
“Um, honestly, I can’t remember because we’ve been – we’re into rum, and I don’t normally drink, and I’ve had a little bit to drink,” said Jody Ramirez.
Jody Ramirez was asked repeatedly whether her husband pointed the gun at her. At first, she said she didn’t remember because she doesn’t normally drink. Then, after providing her personal information, the police report said, “He always has a firearm on him, he’s not making any threats, I promise you.”
The report states the officer “reminded [Jody] that she had previously stated to me that she ‘couldn’t remember’ if he had pointed the gun at her or himself, to which she replied, ‘I don’t remember him pointing it at anybody, is what I’m telling you’.”
The initial report of a man threatening to shoot himself had the officer continuing to ask if Ramirez, 52, was a threat to himself
The police report states Jody Ramirez told officers, “He has a temper.”
The police report states Tampa Police Officer C. Parker “explained that we weren’t looking to put anyone in jail but if her husband wasn’t in the right state of mind. The last thing we needed was for him to have access to a gun, to which she stated, ‘No, my husband is fine, he is just mad at me right now, and I’m pushing all his buttons, so he’s mad at me right now.'”
Since officers could not verify the initial report, Ramirez was released and not taken into custody for a mental health evaluation.
The police report states, “The subject verbally identified himself as Freddy Ramirez. Ramirez did not appear to satisfy Baker Act criteria, and was later released from detainment by other officers on scene.”
Several hours after he was released, investigators said, Ramirez shot himself in the head along the side of Interstate 75 as he and his wife were heading back to Miami.
He was rushed to Tampa General Hospital where he underwent surgeries and continues to recover.
On Wednesday, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Ramirez, who called her to resign before he shot himself, gave her an update on his condition.
“He’s making progress, and we’re all praying and supporting him and his family as they continue with the process of recovery,” she said.
Miami-Dade County officials said Ramirez is on sick injured leave following a critical injury. There is an active internal affairs investigation according to officials.
Levine Cava has named Stephanie V. Daniels as MDPD’s interim director.
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