Global Courant
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida — The Miami-Dade Police Department director was in stable condition following surgery at a Tampa-area hospital, the Miami-Dade mayor said Monday, amid reports from local media that he had shot himself.
Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez, 52, was in Tampa for a law enforcement conference, officials said.
“Following a critical injury yesterday in Tampa, Chief Ramirez has been hospitalized and is in critical but stable condition,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, adding that “all that matters now is Chief Ramirez’s well-being.”
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister told Tampa TV station WFLA that Ramirez shot himself Sunday night during a domestic dispute after stopping his car along Interstate 75 south of Tampa, where the sheriff’s conference was in progress.
The Miami Herald and WPLG reported that Ramirez’s wife, Jody, was traveling with him at the time.
The Associated Press has not independently confirmed those accounts of the shooting. But according to a Tampa police report, Ramirez had pointed a gun at himself during an argument Sunday, revealing trouble before the reported shooting.
Ramirez is a 27-year Miami-Dade police veteran who led the largest law enforcement agency in the Southeastern United States. In May, he announced his intention to run for the newly created role of sheriff in 2024, expressing his desire to remain the lead law enforcement officer.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said it is investigating the “incident” along with the Florida Highway Patrol.
“We have been informed by local law enforcement that our director, Alfredo ‘Freddy’ Ramirez, has suffered a critical injury in the Tampa area,” said a statement from the Miami-Dade Police Department. “We ask that you please keep him in your prayers.”
The state law enforcement agency said no one else was injured and there is no threat to the community.
Details of Ramirez’s injury or how it happened were not immediately confirmed by state or Miami officials.
“We will provide information as it becomes available,” the statement from the Miami-Dade Police Department said.
A spokeswoman for Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told The AP that the mayor had traveled to Tampa after the shooting to “support Director Ramirez and his family.” She deferred all other investigations to the state law enforcement investigation agency.
A Tampa police report said officers were called to the downtown Marriott Waterside over reports of a man pointing a gun at himself outside the hotel during an argument with a woman. The report did not include the name of the woman with Ramirez, but local news outlets identified her as his wife.
Officers arrived after witnesses and were given only third-hand accounts of the argument, the report said. There was no security footage. They found Ramirez leaving a hotel room. He told officers he had an argument with the woman, but denied drawing a gun. Ramirez said he had no intention of harming himself or others and the woman confirmed his account. She told officers she was not in danger.
There was no evidence of a crime or imminent danger, the Tampa police report concluded. Ramirez was told he was free to leave.
“Our hearts are with Director Ramirez and his family,” Tampa police chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement urging police officers who are struggling to seek help.
Help for first responders and others include the Tampa Bay Crisis Center and the US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which accepts calls and texts on 988.
