TAMPA, Fla. – Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez is recovering in a Tampa hospital after undergoing two surgeries Monday and another on Tuesday.
The surgeries are said to have gone well. He is expected to remain at Tampa General Hospital all week.
Sources tell Local 10 Tuesday that Ramirez has been speaking from his hospital bed.
Multiple sources confirmed to Local 10 News that the 52-year-old police director shot himself in the head Sunday night along Interstate 75 following an argument with his wife, Jody.
Ramirez was in the Tampa area attending the Sheriff’s Summer Conference, which was being held at the JW Marriott in downtown Tampa. Sunday evening was the first night of the four-day event.
Sources say Ramirez and his wife, who he has been married to since 1995, had stepped outside the hotel at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday and started fighting, at which time a witness saw Ramirez putting a gun to his mouth, prompting them to call 911.
Tampa police confirmed in a news release that they made contact with Ramirez on the 12th floor of the hotel at 6:50 p.m. and said the police director and the “white female” he was with acknowledged getting into an argument, but claimed no gun was displayed. The witness had already left.
“After additional questioning, Ramirez stated he had no intention to harm himself or others,” the news release stated. “The known female corroborated that they had an argument and that she did not have any concerns about her safety being in danger.”
Newly-obtained dispatch recordings reveal the initial response Tampa police officers made to the Marriott.
“I got a male 10-0 with a gun in front of the building,” one officer is heard saying.
A 10-0 code indicates someone is armed or to take caution.
Police said the hotel’s surveillance cameras did not capture the altercation between the two.
According to sources, the couple was ultimately asked to leave the hotel and drove off together. They said Ramirez then pulled off I-75 in the Riverview area of Hillsborough County, where he shot himself in the head and that it was his wife who called 911.
Sources said he shot himself in the right temple and the bullet exited through his right eye.
Noon report:
Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass spoke at a brief news conference Monday, where he said investigators are conducting interviews, identifying witnesses and obtaining video evidence to “help us piece together the events from (Sunday) night.”
He stressed that because the investigation is active, the information that could be released is “limited,” although authorities did confirm that the gunshot wound appeared to be “self-inflicted.”
Ramirez, who has more than 27 years of law enforcement experience, rose through the ranks of the Miami-Dade Police Department after being hired in 1995, currently serving in a dual role under Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s administration as director of the Miami-Dade Police Department and chief of Safety and Emergency Response, which is responsible for both the oversight of the police department and fire department.
In May, Ramirez had also made known his intention to run for county sheriff in Miami-Dade County.
In 2021, Ramirez and other top brass in Miami-Dade County shared their own mental health struggles after two South Florida officers died by suicide.
The police director spoke about the pressures of working in law enforcement and the resources now available that weren’t there when he was a young officer and too afraid to ask for help.
“I’m very hopeful and I’m very thankful that this new generation learns from us elders and the mistakes that we’ve made,” he said at the time.
A number of law enforcement officials and elected leaders, including Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, offered their support to Ramirez, his family and the department Monday.
Deputy Director Stephanie Daniels was named interim head of the police department on Monday, while Chief of Corrections and Forensics JD Patterson took on Ramirez’s role as chief of public safety on an interim basis, overseeing MDPD, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, the corrections department and other public safety agencies.
Levine Cava is expected to address the media Wednesday, her first such public comment since the incident. Through her spokespeople, she has otherwise declined to comment on what happened outside of her public statements.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, help is available 24/7 by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.