Recently released bodycam footage shows police officers in Tampa handcuffing and releasing the Miami-Dade police chief after he “put his gun in his mouth” and threatened to “end it now” — hours before he shot himself in the head shot.
About a dozen Tampa Police Department officers were called to a hotel around 6:30 p.m. on July 23 after reports that a man — now known as Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez — had an argument with his wife and pointed a gun at his head.
After handcuffing Ramirez and talking to the pair, police released him and left his hotel. Ramirez then called the mayor of Miami-Dade and said he wanted to resign because he had “made mistakes.”
As Ramirez and his wife, Jody, were driving home to Miami around 8:30 p.m., he stopped his car on I-75 and, according to police reports, shot himself in the head.
He was immediately taken to Tampa Hospital and underwent surgery. He is said to be in a stable condition and expected to recover without brain damage, but has likely lost the use of his right eye.
Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez can be seen in handcuffs in Tampa Police Department bodycam footage released Wednesday afternoon
Miami-Dade director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez (second from left) is pictured with his wife Jody Ramirez (left)
Reports and footage released by the Tampa Police Department on Wednesday detail how officers reacted to the alleged incident, in which Ramirez allegedly pointed the gun at his head outside the hotel he was staying at while attending a Florida Sheriff’s Conference with his wife.
In the new footage, Ramirez can be heard asking the Tampa Police Department in response to the scene, “What are you doing?” and “Do you know I’m the director of the Miami-Dade Police Department?”
Ramirez is a 27-year veteran of the Miami-Dade Police Department and heads the largest law enforcement agency in the Southeastern United States.
In May, he announced his intention to run for election to the newly created role of sheriff next year. It is unclear whether he will stay in the race. Meanwhile, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has appointed an interim police director.
The incident began on July 23 outside a JW Marriott hotel, where Ramirez was attending the Florida Sheriff’s Association’s annual summer conference with his wife.
The pair reportedly got into a loud argument outside the hotel before going to their room on the 12th floor.
In the new footage, a hotel employee can be heard telling officers, “What one witness saw was they were arguing, they came here, he said, ‘I’m going to end it,’ and put a gun in his mouth . ‘
Police were then directed to the couple’s room. Due to the report of a firearm, more than a dozen were present and at least one was equipped with a bulletproof shield.
A hotel employee (pictured) told Tampa Police Department officers that a witness saw Ramirez point a gun at his head and threaten to “put an end to it”
Ramirez’s wife, Jody, assured Tamp police she did not feel threatened and said she could not recall if her husband had unholstered his gun outside the hotel.
Ramirez can be heard asking the Tampa police responding to the scene, “What are you doing?” and “Do you know I’m the director of the Miami-Dade Police Department?”
After knocking on the hotel room door around 6:45 p.m., Ramirez’s wife Jody answered the door and appeared in the hallway with her arms raised. She told them that her husband was in the room and the police led him out.
When Ramirez left the room and raised his arms as instructed, two officers appeared to quickly handcuff him. He then asked them what they were doing and told them about his senior position in the Miami-Dade Police Department.
“Who called the police?” he asked them. “I didn’t do anything, I don’t understand.”
When the police asked him what was happening outside the hotel, he told them, “We were just talking, that’s it.” I didn’t touch her, you can ask her, I didn’t do anything.’
Ramirez was asked about the gun and he told them he had a “police gun” on him. He also denied pointing the gun at anything.
“I’m here for the sheriff’s conference,” he said. Ramirez was taken out of handcuffs around 7 p.m.
During the 15 minutes that Ramirez was handcuffed, his wife Jody was questioned by separate police officers down the hall. She told them that her husband ‘Freddy’ is the director of the Miami Dade Police Department.
“We just had a heated conversation,” she told them. “We’re fine.”
When asked if Ramirez took his gun out of its holster, she told police, “I don’t remember him taking it out.”
She then told officers she was not concerned about her safety. “If I felt unsafe, I’d tell all of you right away,” she said. “He’s got plenty of demons off the track, and I’m sure you all probably know.”
The pair are then left alone, and according to police reports, Ramirez called his boss, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, at around 8:30 p.m. and offered his resignation.
“Freddy told me he made a mistake, he was ready to resign,” the mayor told a press conference on July 26.
Ramirez is a 27-year veteran of the Miami-Dade Police Department and heads the largest law enforcement agency in the Southeastern United States. Last week he was said to be in stable condition but likely to lose use of his right eye
Ramirez and his wife were driving from Tampa to Miami when he pulled over on the side of the road and shot himself in the head
She said Ramirez was “very remorseful” during their conversation, and that she told him to get home safely and they would discuss it the next day. Some time after, he shot himself according to police records.
As Ramirez and his wife were driving from Tampa to Miami, somewhere along I-75 in the Riverview neighborhood, toward the southern end of Hillsborough County and south of Tampa, he stopped and shot himself in the head.
Jody Ramirez called 911. “Oh my God, help me, help me, help me, help me!” she told 911, saying her husband had run into the road and she was trying to help him.
She said she tried to treat his head wound on a grassy part of the road, but he wouldn’t let her.
The police chief was rushed to a Tampa hospital where he underwent surgery.
Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said last week that Ramirez’s condition in the hospital was stable. Miami-Dade police said Thursday that he remains in the Tampa area “and is making progress.”