Miami-Dade police chief called mayor prior to shooting himself

Miami-Dade County police director and Alfredo "Freddy" Ramirez is "alert, awake and responsive" at a Tampa hospital as he recovers from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, county Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a press conference Wednesday.

Context: Authorities say Ramirez, a candidate for Miami-Dade sheriff who was in Tampa for a police conference over the weekend, shot himself on the side of I-75 Sunday after a reported domestic dispute at the hotel hosting the conference.

• Police had responded to the hotel following a report of a man pointing a gun at his head earlier in the night.
• Officers confronted Ramirez, who said he had been involved in an argument but did not take out a gun, Tampa Police said.

The latest: Levine Cava confirmed reporting from the Miami Herald that Ramirez called her Sunday night after the incident at the hotel to offer his resignation.

• "He was very remorseful, and I reassured him that we would talk the following morning," Levine Cava told reporters.
• Ramirez said he was driving back to Miami and she told him to get home safely.
• She called the incident a "tragic reminder" of the role mental health plays in law enforcement Wednesday, and said Ramirez is now stable after undergoing surgery.

What's next: Levine Cava appointed an interim chief of public safety and interim director of Miami-Dade Police "until further notice."

• Florida Highway Patrol and Florida Department of Law Enforcement are investigating the shooting.