An armed man who told his girlfriend he didn't want to live was shot and killed by Dallas police after opening fire on police officers Sunday night, officials say.[[328470261,C]]
Dallas police officers were working a vehicle crash at the Avondale Arc Apartments on the 10600 block of Stone Canyon Road at 11:45 p.m. Sunday when several residents called 911 to report a man waving and firing a gun on the other side of the complex.
During a news conference Monday morning, Dallas police identified the armed man as 24-year-old Gerardo Ramirez.
According to police, when Ramirez learned officers were at the complex he told his girlfriend that he did not want to live and wanted to shoot at the officers. At that point, Ramirez is believed to have walked out into the parking lot where he fired several rounds into the air.
Hearing both the gunshots and the calls to 911, two officers were dispatched to the other side of the complex. When they arrived, Ramirez moved from between parked vehicles and opened fire on the officers, police said.
The officers returned fire and Ramirez retreated to cover, again between parked vehicles.
The two police officers continued to approach, spotted Ramirez and ordered him to surrender. He again began shooting so both officers again returned fire, striking him at least once.
As backup arrived, officers surrounded Ramirez and provided medical assistance until Dallas Fire-Rescue paramedics arrived.
Ramirez was transported to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas where he was pronounced dead. No officers were injured in the incident.
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At the scene, officers recovered Ramirez's semi-automatic handgun and a box of ammunition. Witnesses to the shooting reported seeing Ramirez reload his weapon at least once.
During a news conference Monday morning, Dallas Police Department Deputy Chief Rob Sherwin narrated a series of five videos recorded by a resident of the complex. The videos show the entire exchange between Ramirez and the officers, including the fatal shooting and Ramirez's body on the ground, police said.
Sherwin said police were glad to have the resident's video since none of the officers involved were wearing body cameras and that dash-cam footage does not show the incident.
Ramirez's girlfriend and family members said he began acting strangely Sunday night and said he had been using drugs. No other explanation or motive has been offered as an explanation for his behavior, however Sherwin said Monday that police officers had visited Ramirez on Aug. 13 after he threatened to harm himself.
Dallas police have not yet confirmed the number of shots fired by either the officers or Ramirez, but more than 40 evidence markers covered the parking lot early Monday — several vehicles were damaged by bullets during the exchange of gunfire.
"I heard about five or six shots," resident Wilmer Scroggins said. "Then, after that, I heard about 10 more shots."
Resident Teresa Macedo said she grabbed her two children and hid in the bedroom closet.
"My kids were sleeping, so I just rushed to take them from the bed and we all hid," she said.
NBC 5's Jeff Smith contributed to this report.
