2 dead, 7 injured after fight turns into officer-involved shooting at Miami-Dade shopping center
DORAL — Two people are dead — including a gunman — and seven people were injured after a fight broke out into a shooting at a Miami-Dade shopping center early Saturday morning.
According to police, a dispute between patrons in the patio area at the Martini Bar in CityPlace Doral prompted a security guard to intervene. Around this time, one of the patrons in the fight suddenly pulled out a gun, shot the security officer and killed him.
As a result, the rest of the establishment's security detail then began to exchange gunfire with the suspect and killed him as well. During the shooting, six other people at the scene were also injured: two women and four men, along with a Doral Police officer who was shot in the leg.
Police said during a news conference just before 8 a.m. that two of them were critically injured and transported to Jackson Trauma and HCA Kendall Regional Trauma, respectively; the other five, including the officer, were said to be in stable condition with one of them was also transported JMH and the remaining victims were transported to HCA Kendall.
At JMH, a man whose cousin was among those injured told CBS News Miami that they suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen. A witness of the shooting told CBS News Miami that they saw another security guard almost lose a finger.
Police also said that the police officer shot in the gunfire was a member of the force for four years and applied his tourniquet during the incident. CBS News Miami managed to see the officer get transported to JMH and physically carried by his fellow officers into the emergency room early Saturday morning.
Doral Police told CBS News Miami on Sunday morning that the officer is now at home and expected to fully recover.
Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez also noted that exactly one year ago, his officers had an extensive training session for a mass casualty incident at this location, and he and Doral Mayor Christi Fraga were grateful that officers had this type of training beforehand.
Fraga shared a statement on X regarding the incident, saying that the shooting occurred around 4 a.m. and that she praying and thinking about the victims and their families.
🚨Statement regarding the recent incident that occurred at Cityplace Doral. pic.twitter.com/JfwWsOSoDq
— Christi Fraga (@ChristiFraga) April 6, 2024
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and individuals affected by this terrible incident," she stated. "I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the police officers who swiftly responded to the call."
Doral residents who spoke to CBS News Miami said they were stunned to learn what happened in their city on Saturday.
"We were shocked that it happened, especially in a safe place like CityPlace Doral," said resident Luis Colon.
The owners of the Martini Bar provided the following statement to CBS News Miami:
"Our hearts are broken by the tragedy that unfolded at our venue early this morning that took the life of a dedicated security guard and injured several others. Our staff, patrons, and this community are like family to us, and we are completely shaken by this senseless act of violence. We're working diligently to ensure that all those affected by this feel supported in every way possible. We are conducting our own internal investigation, as well as cooperating fully with all authorities. This trauma will be felt deeply by us all for a long time to come, and we are here for our community today, and always."
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava also shared a statement on X, saying in part that she hopes the Doral Police Department and community will recover from the tragedy.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is further investigating the circumstances leading up to the shooting.
CBS News Miami had a crew on the scene of the shooting and the hospital where some of the victims were transported to gather more information throughout Saturday.