Officer Who Shot Causeway Attacker Has Clean Record
MIAMI (CBS4) - Nearly three weeks after Miami Police officer Jose Ramirez shot and killed the so-called "Miami Cannibal," CBS4 News has been given access to his personnel file.
Records show that the May 26th shooting was the only time Officer Ramirez used his gun in his four-year career.
There are two incidents where he used force. In one, he made a traffic stop. He noticed a strong smell of marijuana. He said the defendant turned aggressive. Officer Ramirez was trying to put the man into custody, according to the documents, when the defendant continued to resist, using his forehead and knees. Ultimately, he was able to arrest the man. In that case, a supervisor ruled the officer's response to resistance was within state statutes.
In another case, a report shows Officer Ramirez went to a restaurant where someone didn't want to pay the bill. He wrote that the man was causing a disturbance by cursing and yelling. The defendant "began aggressively walking towards" another officer. Then, when he was trying to arrest him, the man was tensing his arms and pulling away to avoid being handcuffed. Officer Ramirez took the defendant down to the ground and took him into custody. In that case, a supervisor also ruled that force was justified.
The Miami Police Department is still investigating the May 26th incident on the MacArthur Causeway.
