Gunman Killed by Cops Near Preston Hollow
A 24-year-old Dallas man died following a police-involved shooting at an apartment complex near the intersection of Royal Lane and North Central Expressway last weekend.
The bizarre incident began at 11:43 p.m. on Sept. 20, when Dallas Police Department officers were called after a traffic accident led to a disturbance of some kind at the Avondale Parc Apartments in the 10800 block of Stone Canyon Road.
Gerardo Ramirez wasn’t involved in the wreck or the disturbance, but he was elsewhere in the complex expressing suicidal thoughts to his girlfriend and saying he wanted to shoot the officers.
So Ramirez went into the parking lot and started firing a handgun into the air, which prompted 911 calls from several neighbors. When the officers approached Ramirez, he hid behind parked cars and opened fire. Witnesses reported seeing him reload the weapon during the shootout.
The officers ordered him to drop the gun, but he fired again at the officers, who took cover and returned fire, fatally wounding him. The officers found a semi-automatic handgun next to Ramirez, which they kicked away, as well as a box of ammunition.
Ramirez was transported to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Nobody else was injured.
DPD officers previously were dispatched to meet with Ramirez about his suicidal behavior on Aug. 13. Family members said he had been acting strangely in recent weeks and had been using drugs.
The two officers, Christopher Hill and Theron Akin, are on administrative leave in accordance with DPD policy. The investigation is ongoing.
