By Naomi Martin
The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS — Before he started a shootout with Dallas police late Sunday that left him dead, a high Gerardo Ramirez told his girlfriend he wanted to shoot at cops and didn’t want to live anymore, police said.
“It appears he was trying to commit suicide by cop … and take officers’ lives,” Dallas police Maj. Rob Sherwin said at a news conference Monday.
The deadly shooting began when two officers were dispatched to a “major disturbance” involving an auto accident around 11:43 p.m. Sunday at the Avondale Park Apartments in the 10800 block of Stone Canyon Road in North Dallas.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the apartment complex, Ramirez started acting strangely, his family and girlfriend later told police. They say the 24-year-old had taken drugs.
A neighbor’s video, shot from a balcony, shows Ramirez in the parking lot firing a handgun several times into the air. Multiple people called 911 to report the gunfire, police said.
The two officers left their original call and ran toward the gunman, police said. Ramirez moved from between parked cars and began firing at the officers, police said.
The officers, whom police did not identify, took cover behind cars and returned fire. At least 10 shots can be heard.
The bullets stopped flying for a few moments. The video shows the officers crouching on opposite sides of the parking lot.
“You OK? You hit?” one officer asks the other.
“Nope, I’m good,” the other responds.
The video shows Ramirez running shirtless across the parking lot, police said, where he seemed to be trying to lure the officers. The officers chased him.
The gunbattle reignited, as Ramirez fired and the officers shot back. More than a dozen gunshots were fired during the exchange.
“Let me see your hands! Let’s see your hands!” an officer shouted.
After a few moments, the video shows Ramirez lying on the pavement. Police approached him with their guns drawn as the department’s helicopter roared overhead, shining a spotlight on them.
A witness told police Ramirez fired at the officers and reloaded. Police believe he was using a box of ammunition that they later found in the parking lot, Sherwin said.
Officers provided first aid to Ramirez. He was taken to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, where he died. His family could not be reached for comment.
This wasn’t the first time police encountered Ramirez acting dangerously. On Aug. 13, officers were dispatched to his home because his family reported he was threatening to harm himself, Sherwin said.
In October 2009, Ramirez was arrested after police found a white powder inside a folded paper in his front jacket pocket that tested positive for amphetamine. Then in September 2013, Ramirez was arrested on three counts of vehicle burglary after police found him in a parking lot with stolen items and marijuana.
Records show Ramirez pleaded guilty in Dallas County to three counts of burglary of a vehicle, attempted possession of amphetamine, two counts of possession of drugs, including heroin, theft and unlawful carrying of a handgun.
Police thanked the witnesses who came forward and the neighbor who shot the video. The shooting was not caught on police dashcam or body-worn cameras.
“I’m also very thankful that no other persons, including our officers, were hurt,” Sherwin said.
Frederick Frazier, vice president of the Dallas Police Association said both officers “are lucky to be alive, as well as the citizens that live in that area.”
Frazier, who survived a shootout with a suspect in 2012, said the officers — and their families — will likely be traumatized for a long time.
“The person that the officers are responding to make the decision on how the officer’s going to react,” Frazier said. “Unfortunately, individuals do not make the best decisions and when the officer has to take action sometimes, it’s a life-or-death matter.”
Resident Jo Lynn Buitureida said she’s never heard gunshots in the area before, so it was a shock to wake up to shooting.
“The first time I was so deep in my sleep I thought I was dreaming it. Then 30 minutes later, we heard a lot,” said Buitureida, whose car was damaged by flying bullets. “It was just shot after shot, and that’s when I knew.”
Copyright 2015 The Dallas Morning News