Suspect in Sacramento Police Officer Killing Smashed His Head on Jail Bed, Authorities Say

The man suspected of killing a Sacramento police officer responding to a domestic violence call was taken to an area hospital after “slamming his head against the frame of his bed,” authorities said Monday.

Jail staff took Adel Sambrano Ramos, 45, for treatment on Sunday around 9:30 a.m, said Sgt. Tess Deterding, spokeswoman for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department.

Ramos could receive the death penalty in Wednesday’s fatal shooting of Sacramento police Officer Tara O’Sullivan, 26. He is also charged with attempting to murder her training officer, Daniel Chipp, and with possessing two illegal assault-style rifles.

Ramos has injuries to his head, but Deterding couldn’t provide further information, saying they “weren’t deemed to be anything major.”

“Staff became aware that he was slamming his head against the frame of his bed,” she said, and then he was taken to the hospital.

Ramos was brought back on Sunday night to the jail, where he is being held on its psychiatric floor. He is under an around-the-clock psychiatric watch and was wearing a “safety suit,” clothing that he can’t use to try to harm himself, Deterding said.

“We’ve put further measures in place to ensure he can’t continue to hurt himself,” she said.

Ramos appeared in Sacramento County Superior Court Monday afternoon.

The attorney handling Ramos’ court appearance, Sacramento County Assistant Public Defender Diane Howard, did not immediately respond to KQED requests for comment. Norm Dawson, also in the public defender’s office, told KQED that the case would be assigned to him initially, though Howard would handle Monday’s appearance. He said he was unaware of Ramos’ injuries.

When O’Sullivan was shot just before 6 p.m. Wednesday, she had been responding to a domestic violence call — helping a woman collect her belongings to leave a home. The woman was not hurt, and the relationship between her and the gunman was not known.

O’Sullivan was wounded while she was in a backyard, and officers could not reach her for about 45 minutes after she was shot because the gunman kept firing, police said. She later died at UC Davis Medical Center hours after the gunman shot her — the first killing of an on-duty Sacramento police officer in 20 years. Ramos was taken into custody about 2 a.m. Thursday after an eight-hour standoff in which he fired a rifle on and off.

A vigil was held on Sunday for O’Sullivan at Sacramento State, where she was part of the first class of graduates of the Law Enforcement Candidate Scholars’ Program in 2017. She later went on to the Sacramento Police Academy and had been working for the city since January 2018, The Sacramento Bee reported.

Concord police say O’Sullivan grew up in Pleasant Hill in Contra Costa County and graduated from College Park High School in 2011. She later attended Diablo Valley College. Memorial services for her are set for Thursday morning at the Bayside Church’s Adventure Campus in Roseville.

Ramos has a history of violence. He was charged with misdemeanor battery of a minor in 2018 in a case that is currently active and he pleaded guilty to battery of a spouse in 1998, said Kim Pedersen, a Sacramento Superior Court spokeswoman.

His brother, Orlando Ramos, told The Associated Press that Adel Sambrano Ramos was estranged from the family, had a history of domestic violence and drug abuse, and had been in and out of jail for years. He said he hopes his older brother spends the rest of his life in prison.

This story includes reporting by The Associated Press.