Miami-Dade Police Official Offered Resignation Before Shooting Himself

TAMPA, FL — Hours before he pulled over and shot himself on I-75 South in Riverview Sunday night, Miami-Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez tried to resign from his position.

The 52-year-old county official also oversees the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department.

Earlier in the day, Ramirez, who was staying at Marriott Waterside in downtown Tampa for a law enforcement conference, had Tampa police called on him during an argument with his wife, Jody Ramirez.

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Officers responded to reports of a man pointing a gun at himself outside the hotel during an argument with a woman, The Associated Press previously reported. Freddy Ramirez was allowed to leave after police found no evidence of a crime or immediate danger.

Tampa police have since released the 911 call, NBC6 South Florida reported.

In the call, a security staff member at the hotel, who couldn’t describe the suspect, told 911, "The front desk, they're telling me there's a guy with a gun in our front drive.”

He added, "I've got somebody who is supposedly in the front drive with a gun. Guests that were walking from the outside into the hotel said that there's a man in the drive with a gun."

Ramirez, who was found in a room on the 12th floor, told officers that he didn’t pull out a gun and that he had no intention of harming himself. His wife backed up his statement to police.

A spokesperson for Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava told NBC 6 South Florida that she spoke with Ramirez before he shot himself.

During that conversation, which took place about 8:30 p.m. after leaving the hotel with his wife, he offered to resign from his position with the county, the mayor said.

“Freddy told me he had made a mistake, he was prepared to resign and I told him we would talk about it the next day,” the mayor said during a Wednesday morning news conference.

She said Ramirez was “very remorseful” during their conversation.

Levine-Cava said she told Ramirez to get home safely and they would discuss it the next day.

Ramirez, who was brought to a Tampa hospital for treatment following the shooting, is recovering after surgery.

“Director Ramirez continues to positively recover post-surgery,” the Miami-Dade Police Department said Tuesday in a statement. “He continues to receive outstanding medical care in Tampa surrounded by his family, loved ones, and MDPD brothers and sisters. Thank you to our community and law enforcement family for all your prayers, support and strength."

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.