Man Charged After Fatal Shooting at Burnsville Motel
Authorities have charged a suspect in relation to a fatal shooting Friday night at a Burnsville motel that left one man dead.
Ricky Eloy Ramirez, 24, of Houston, Texas was taken into custody after the shooting at Burnsville Inn & Suites, 1101 Burnsville Pkwy., around 6:30 p.m.
Inside the motel, officers found a man who was dead from a gunshot wound and cleared the rest of the building, checking for other victims. No other victims were found, and Ramirez was arrested shortly after, held without bail in the Dakota County Jail over the weekend and formally charged Monday with one count of 2nd-degree murder.
The victim was identified in charging documents as Sheldon Jeremy Williams, 37, of South Carolina.
According to the criminal complaint, police responded to the report of shots being fired at the hotel and as they arrived at the scene, witnesses reported there was a man running around upstairs on the second floor, saying that a female was fatally shot.
Officers proceeded to the second floor of the hotel and saw a man, subsequently identified as Ramirez, standing with a handgun near his feet, talking on a cell phone, according to the complaint. Officers ordered Ramirez to show his hands and he dropped the phone, with officers moving in to recover the handgun at his feet.
While Ramirez was being handcuffed, he allegedly stated “right door last end, they have an AR and they have 100 more.” When officers asked who had gotten shot, Ramirez said, “Him right there. I shot him.” Officers looked down the hallway and saw a male later identified as Sheldon Williams, unresponsive next to a pool of blood. He appeared to have a gunshot wound to the head and officers began lifesaving measures until medics arrived. Williams died at the scene. After a search, investigators say a loaded handgun magazine was found in Ramirez’ pocket.
Witnesses told investigators Ramirez had recently arrived in the area for work and had been acting paranoid and erratic in the days prior.
Hotel video surveillance was reviewed and showed Ramirez walking around the second floor hallway near Williams’ motel room before he exited. Ramirez allegedly fired a gun multiple times and Williams dropped to the ground just after he exited. On the video, it did not appear Williams had a weapon in his hands when he exited the room before being shot, documents say.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy and determined that Williams was shot six times and died of multiple gunshot wounds.
Bail for Ramirez was set Monday at $1.5 million without conditions and his next court appearance is set for Sept. 30.
