BCSO IDs suicidal man killed by deputy during lengthy standoff in North Valley

Nov. 14—The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office identified the man who was fatally shot by deputies Sunday night after threatening to kill himself and holing up inside a car for 12 hours in the North Valley.

Three days after a BCSO SWAT team member killed 46-year-old Joseph Ramos, spokeswoman Jayme Fuller-Gonzales would not say whether Ramos had a gun or what led to the shooting.

"We must complete all interviews of anyone involved in the incident before releasing additional details," she said in an email Tuesday.

The incident marked the second time BCSO shot and killed a man threatening suicide. In April, deputies fatally shot Jared Romero as he approached them holding a knife to his own neck, telling them, "I want you to shoot me."

Sunday's shooting began with Ramos threatening suicide outside a fire station.

BCSO said in a Facebook post that deputies responded around 5:50 a.m. to the county fire station on Fourth NW, near Osuna. The agency said it responded after receiving reports about a man in a vehicle with a gun "threatening self-harm."

Deputies said they found Ramos in a vehicle blocking the bay doors of the station before he drove in reverse on Fourth and crashed into a curb. The SWAT team, police dogs and a drone operator were dispatched as Ramos refused to get out of the vehicle.

Without detailing what happened in the 12-hour standoff, BCSO said, "despite extensive efforts to de-escalate the situation, it concluded with at least one deputy on the SWAT team discharging their duty weapon, resulting in the suspect being fatally wounded."

"All law enforcement officers involved are unharmed and safe," BCSO said in the news release. "As per our standard operating procedures following a deputy-involved shooting, the Multi-Agency Task Force is actively investigating the incident."