Officer Not Charged For Fatal Shooting Of Man In Lake Ridge: Police

LAKE RIDGE, VA — A criminal investigation into a fatal officer-involved shooting of a man during a barricade in Lake Ridge has not resulted in charges for officers.

After an investigation by the Critical Incident Response Team made up of regional law enforcement, Prince William County Commonwealth's Amy Ashworth decided not to pursue charges for the Aug. 1, 2024 officer-involved shooting. Prince William County Police's Office of Professional Standards will do an internal administrative review. The incident will go to the Prince William County Police Department’s Use of Deadly Force Review Board for a final review if the shooting was justified and following police department policies.

The fatal officer-involved shooting happened at a home in the 3000 block of Bromley Court in Lake Ridge. Around 8:21 p.m. on Aug. 1, an out-of-state person reported concerns for their relative's suicidal statements. The relative believed the man may be armed. After responding to the man's home on Caledonia Circle, he was found in the backyard of an acquaintance's home on Bromley Court. Police say he was in an agitated state and had a gun.

The police department brought in a SWAT team and Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems and contained the incident to the backyard of the home. A barricade ensued, and members of a crisis negotiation unit and a community services clinician attempted for the man to safely surrender. Messages relayed from loved ones to the man were unsuccessful in ending the barricade. Police obtained an emergency custody order.

Around 5:30 a.m., police say the man pointed the gun in the direction of officers and nearby occupied townhouses. That led a SWAT team member to shoot the man in the upper body. He was pronounced dead at the scene and was identified as Gabriel Rene Ramirez, 22, of Woodbridge.

Only one officer discharged a weapon and fired one round in the officer-involved shooting, police say. The officer has four and a half years of service and was part of uniform patrol operations and a part-time SWAT team member. The officer was put on paid administrative leave pending the investigation results.