Gunfire erupted in a bar at a popular outdoor mall in suburban Miami early Saturday morning, leaving two people dead and seven others wounded.
Authorities were alerted to an altercation at the Martini Bar in the CityPlace Doral complex around 3:30 a.m., NBC 6 reported. Police said a dispute between patrons unfolded in the patio area, prompting a security guard to intervene. While he attempted to deescalate the situation, one of the men involved pulled out a gun and fatally shot the guard.
“Unfortunately, the security guard lost his life while he was performing his duties, and of course, our heart goes out to that family,” Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said during a news conference Saturday morning.
The shooter then engaged in a gun battle with two Doral police officers, who were already on the scene. He was fatally shot in the gunfire exchange, police said.
An officer was also struck and rushed to an area hospital with a wound to a lower extremity.
“One of the officers, the one who was struck, with four years of service, applied a tourniquet on himself immediately after being struck.” Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez said. “Even after he discharged his firearm, the extensive training that our police officers undergo is a testament to why that officer is alive today.”
Lopez added that the officer “not only saved the lives of patrons, but he saved his own life by using the tourniquet.”
Another six bystanders — two women and four men — were wounded. Two of those victims were taken to trauma centers and listed in critical condition, Zabaleta said. The remaining four were stable.
No one involved in the deadly incident has been identified. What exactly sparked the initial confrontation was also unclear.
“At the present time we do know that two officers of the City of Doral Police Department did discharge their firearm, but as I mentioned, only one was injured by gunfire,” Zabaleta said. “The Florida Department of Law Enforcement continues to talk to all witnesses that are here in order to be able to gather all the details.”
🚨Statement regarding the recent incident that occurred at Cityplace Doral. pic.twitter.com/JfwWsOSoDq
— Christi Fraga (@ChristiFraga) April 6, 2024
Doral Mayor Christi Fraga in a statement shared on X lauded the police response, crediting their “extensive training” over the past year, including mass casualty and multi-agency active shooter drill at CityPlace. She also offered her condolences to the victims’ loved ones.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all the individuals affected by this terrible incident,” she said. “I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the police officers who swiftly responded to the call.”
