Man Found Not Guilty Due To Mental Illness In July Burnsville Shooting

BURNSVILLE, MN — The man who was charged with second degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of Sheldon Jeremy Williams, 37 of South Carolina, in July at a hotel in Burnsville has been found not guilty by reason of mental illness, according to a news release from the Dakota County Attorney's Office.

Ricky Eloy Ramirez, 25 of Texas, waived his right to a jury trial on his defenses of not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental illness, County Attorney Kathy Keena said.

See also: Texas Man Charged In Fatal Burnsville Shooting

Dakota County District Court found that Ramirez proved that he was mentally ill at the time of the homicide and didn't understand the nature of his actions, officials said.

A judge ordered Ramirez to be held pending transfer to a mental health facility, officials said.

Burnsville Police responded to a report of shots being fired at a hotel off of Aldrich Avenue and Burnsville Parkway on the evening of July 23, officials said.

Officers went up to the second floor of the hotel and saw a man, later identified as Ramirez, standing with a handgun at his feet, talking on a cellphone, officials said.

When officers asked who was shot, Ramirez told them, "Him right there. I shot him," officials said.

Officers found Williams unresponsive with an apparent gunshot wound to the head, and he died at the scene, officials said. It was later determined that he had been shot six times, officials said.

Officers searched Ramirez and found a loaded handgun magazine in his pocket, officials said.

Ramirez's girlfriend told police that she and Ramirez came to Minnesota from Texas with Ramirez's father on Wednesday and that he began acting strange on Thursday, officials said.
The girlfriend told police that she had been in the hotel Friday with Ramirez and was in the hotel lobby when she heard the gunshots, prompting her to leave, officials said.

Ramirez's father told police that Ramirez told him he believed his coworkers were talking about him and thought somebody was chasing him at work, officials said. He did not believe his son's claims, officials said.

Hotel surveillance showed Williams coming out of his hotel room and Ramirez shooting him, officials said.