Texas man acted paranoid before fatally shooting Burnsville man six times, charges say

Deanna Weniger, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
·2 min read

Jul. 26—A Texas man who was in Burnsville for work is suspected of killing a man at a hotel July 23, shooting him six times.

Ricky Eloy Ramirez, 24, of Houston, was charged Monday with one count of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Sheldon Jeremy Williams, 37, of Burnsville.

According to the criminal complaint, Ramirez was in town with his girlfriend and father. The men had just started working the day before.

Both the girlfriend and father told police that Ramirez had been fine, but then on July 22, his behavior changed. He became paranoid. He armed himself with a gun and said the government was coming to get him, the complaint states.

When he was arrested, police heard him say that someone in a room on the hall had an "AR" and "they have 100 more." Police found no evidence to support his claim and Ramirez's father said he did not believe anyone was out to get his son, the complaint states.

On July 23, Burnsville police were called to Burnsville Inn and Suites at 1101 Burnsville Parkway West after a report of shots fired. Hotel personnel told police there was a man running around on the second floor.

Officers found Ramirez standing in the hall talking on a phone with a handgun near his feet, according to the complaint. When officers asked who had been shot, Ramirez pointed to Williams and said "Him right there. I shot him," the complaint said.

Officers saw Williams lying on the floor unresponsive next to a pool of blood. He appeared to have a gunshot wound to the head, the complaint states.

He was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:24 p.m. It is unclear from the complaint whether Williams and Ramirez knew each other.

Hotel video surveillance showed Ramirez walking around the second floor hallway near William's room. When the Williams came out into the hallway, Ramirez is seen firing the gun multiple times before Williams drops to the ground, according to the complaint. On the video, it did not appear that Williams had a weapon of any kind in his hands, the compliant states.

Court documents show Ramirez has a conviction from Texas for burglary of a vehicle in 2018.

Ramirez made his first court appearance on these charges Monday and bail in the amount of $1.5 million without conditions — $1 million with conditions, was set by Dakota County District Court Judge Karen Asphaug. His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 30 in Hastings.