Two Doral police officers suing owners of Martini Bar after deadly shooting
MIAMI - Two Doral police officers have filed a lawsuit against the owners of a popular nightspot and a private security company after a shooting last April left a security guard dead and one of the officers severely injured.
Officers Andre Romo and Richard Acevedo were patrolling CityPlace on off-duty detail on the morning of April 6th, when a fight broke out around 3:30 a.m. in the patio area of the Martini Bar.
When security guard George Alejandro Castellanos tried to intervene, 37-year-old Jamal Wayne Wood reportedly pulled a gun. He then began shooting at the bar's patrons. Castellanos was killed and seven others were injured, including Acevedo who was shot in the leg.
Castellanos, 23, was just weeks away from graduating with his bachelor's degree.
Wood was killed during a shootout with police.
In the lawsuit, the officers claim Castellanos was recently hired and had not undergone proper safety training, which could have prevented the incident. They also maintain that the nightclub's owners had a responsibility to protect their patrons by searching them for weapons before they entered.
"I almost didn't make it home to my wife and kids over a completely preventable incident and simple safety measures," said Romo in a statement.
"Had appropriate safety measures been in place, the lives of those present, including Officers Romo and Acevedo, would not have been put in peril," said attorney Bernardo Pimentel, with Leesfield & Partners, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the officers.
Castellanos' family has also filed a lawsuit against the club's owners.
