The Florida police chief who attempted suicide on a highway after an argument with his wife Sunday night offered his resignation before injuring himself, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced Wednesday.
Levine Cava spoke on the phone with Miami-Dade Police Department Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez about 8:30 p.m. Sunday, she said. He told her, “There was an incident at the hotel in Tampa, and that he had made mistakes and he was remorseful and he was going back to Miami and we would talk about it more the next day,” Levine Cava said.
She added, “He told me he had made a mistake, that he was prepared to resign.”
Levine Cava didn’t elaborate more on her conversation with Ramirez but said there is an ongoing investigation into Sunday’s events involving Ramirez.
On Monday, authorities announced Ramirez shot himself in the head on a Florida highway after an argument with his wife.
He had surgery Monday afternoon and was in stable condition, Miami-Dade police officials said Monday evening.
“He probably has a long road ahead, a lot of surgeries, but he is going to survive,” Hillsborough Country Sheriff Chad Chronister told reporters in Tampa.
Levine Cava said Wednesday Ramirez is in stable condition after undergoing surgery. “And every day that he is recovering, he is continuing to regain his strength. He’s now alert, awake and responsive,” she said.
Officers responded Sunday evening to the Florida Sheriff’s Association’s Summer Conference in Tampa where “a male had pointed a gun at himself,” police said in a statement.
When officers arrived to the 12th floor of the Marriott Westside, Ramirez, 52, told them he was no danger to himself or others, and was then “released at the scene,” Tampa police said.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office described that encounter as a domestic dispute between Ramirez and his wife.
But shortly after that incident, Ramirez drove off and shot himself in the head, the sheriff said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said the incident happened on I-75, south of Tampa.
“Our hearts are with Chief of Public Safety Freddy Ramirez and his family during this difficult time,” Cava said in a statement. “All that matters right now is his well-being and we continue to pray for his speedy recovery.”
Ramirez had announced his candidacy for sheriff of Miami-Dade County in 2024.
The law enforcement leader grew up in Hialeah and was raised by his grandparents who fled Cuba and the Castro regime, according to his campaign biography.
He graduated from the University of Miami, married his high school sweetheart and joined the Miami-Dade Police Department in 1995, his campaign said.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle called Sunday night’s shooting “deeply saddening.”
“An incident such as this is so deeply saddening, and I am praying and hoping for Chief Freddy Ramirez’ full recovery,” she said. “We all know that we need many, many more individuals with the strength, courage and commitment he has exemplified throughout his career.”
During Wednesday’s news briefing, Levine Cava called Ramirez, “An amazing human being. He is the best, the best of law enforcement. … I have total trust in his leadership.” She mentioned how she had appointed Ramirez to a dual role, the chief of safety and emergency response, as well as being director of Miami-Dade police.
To that end, Levine Cava also announced Wednesday two appointments who will temporarily fill Ramirez’s duties. She appointed chief of corrections and forensics JD Patterson as the interim chief of public, responsible for the “public safety portfolio” that includes Miami-Dade police, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, the Department of Emergency Management, Corrections and Rehabilitation and the medical examiner’s office. She also appointed Deputy Director Stephanie Daniels to the position of Miami-Dade Police Department’s interim director.
Levine Cava said Ramirez’s shooting is a “tragic reminder of the critical role mental health plays in our law enforcement.”
“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 health care,” she said.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
David K. Li and Nicole Duarte contributed.
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