A gunman killed a security guard at a Florida martini bar before dying in a shootout with police after a bar fight that left seven people — including one officer — wounded early Saturday.
A security guard at Martini Bar, located in the CityPlace Doral, stepped in to stop a fight between customers around 3:30 a.m. when one of the men pulled a gun, police said.
“The security guard that was working intervened, and that’s when the subject produced a firearm and shot and killed the security guard,” Miami-Dade Police Detective Álvaro Zabaleta said during a news conference, according to WSVN.
Two City of Doral cops immediately responded to the scene and engaged the gunman.
“There was an exchange of gunfire between the subject and the officer. The officer shot and killed the subject; however, the officer also sustained a gunshot wound to the lower extremity,” said Zabaleta.
The slain security guard was identified as George Castellanos, according to Local 10 News.
William Suedois, who lives in the CityPlace apartments near the bar, said he first heard about three gunshots around 3 a.m. before 10 to 15 additional gunshots rang out.
“My apartment is pretty close to all the music. It was very loud. I felt it in my chest,” Suedois told Local 10. “I am not going to lie; it was pretty scary.”
Suedois saw people fleeing the popular bar in a panic before police officers swarmed the area.
“I saw a lady on the ground. I wasn’t sure if she was hit, if she was hurt, if she was scared — it was crazy,” Suedois said.
Six bystanders, five men and one woman, were injured in the shooting, according to cops.
They were taken to the hospital, where two are in critical condition and four are in stable condition.
The injured police officer was a four-year veteran who applied a tourniquet to himself, Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez said, adding that it was too early to tell who was shot by whom.
The injured officer is expected to make a full recovery, police added.
“We are grateful that he is alive and in stable condition, and we look forward to completing this investigation,” said Lopez.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava thanked the officers who responded to the shooting for keeping the community safe, writing on X: “Our hearts go out to the Doral community and @DoralPolice following last night’s gun violence, as we pray for a swift recovery for all those injured and for the families of the victims. Today, and every day, we are so grateful for the men and women in uniform who keep us safe.”
Three active investigations into the incident are currently underway, officials said.
The City of Doral Police is investigating the original fight, while Miami-Dade Police is conducting a homicide investigation and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the officer-involved shooting.
