Who is Jody Ramirez? Miami-Dade police chief Freddy Ramirez's wife 'can't remember' if he took out his gun during quarrel
TAMPA, FLORIDA: Alfredo 'Freddy' Ramirez, the director of the Miami-Dade police force, was discovered by cops who responded to a report of a man brandishing a gun and threatening to "end it all" outside a hotel in Tampa, Florida. Bodycam footage offered an alternate perspective to the incident on Sunday, July 23, which occurred hours before the Miami police chief stopped his car on Interstate 75 south of Tampa while his wife, Jody, was inside, and shot himself in the head.
The police chief was taken to a Tampa hospital where he had surgery after Jody frantically dialed 911. Ramirez's condition is reportedly stable, as per Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava's statement from last week. He is still in the Tampa area, according to Miami-Dade police, "and is making progress," per The Associated Press.
Who is Jody Ramirez?
Ramirez, the head of the Miami-Dade police department, and Jody, according to Analystique, have been married since 1995. She is his former high school sweetheart. Also, they reportedly have four children, one of them, Brandon, is a sergeant working for the Miami-Dade Police Department.
What did the bodycam footage show?
Initially, police were called at 6.30 pm on that Sunday to a hotel where the Florida Sheriff's annual convention was taking place. A witness dialled 911 after seeing an altercation between a man and woman outside of the hotel, claiming that the man, later identified as 52-year-old Ramirez, had aimed a pistol at his head. As per the bodycam footage, hotel security informed the officers that the couple had already left for their room on the 12th floor by the time the police arrived.
According to the police report, the witnesses who saw the couple squabble were no longer present, and authorities were unable to locate any security footage of the incident. Then police were seen rushing upstairs. The bodycam video showed an officer saying, "Tampa Police! Come out with your hands up. Hands up!" A woman, subsequently identified as Jody, steps out of the room, followed by her husband, who "had to be told multiple times to show his hands," according to the report.
The footage then showed Ramirez being handcuffed. Outside, officers continued to speak with Ramirez and his wife individually. "Man, I didn't do anything, please," Ramirez was heard saying, adding, "You guys are going to blow my a** up if you write a report. Please, I didn't do anything." When the officers questioned if he had brandished a gun during his conversation with his wife, he answered "No," adding that they had only argued about "marriage stuff." Later, the police chief stated, "We're good." Other police officers in the area interviewed Jody about whether the disagreement turned violent and whether her husband pointed the gun at her or at himself. She said, "Um, honestly, I can't remember," and added that they had been drinking.
Jody said that they were "just having a heated conversation," which she described as not unusual after 30 years of marriage. She also admitted to the officers that her husband "has plenty of demons from the job," always had a gun on him and was often irritated. "He’s not making any threats, I promise you," she was heard saying.