Doral, Florida – A shootout at a bar early Saturday left a security guard dead, an officer injured, and six innocent bystanders wounded in the crossfire. The suspected gunman has been identified as 37-year-old Jamal Wayne Wood by the Miami-Dade Police Department.
The incident occurred at around 3:30 a.m. at the Martini Bar in CityPlace Doral, a retail district located just five miles west of Miami. This tragic event adds to the already high number of mass shootings in the US this year, with over 100 recorded according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Authorities revealed that exactly a year before the shooting, a mass casualty active shooter drill was conducted at the same establishment. The altercation that led to the violence started among patrons at the bar, as confirmed by Doral Police Department spokesperson Alicia Neal.
Upon intervention by a security guard, the situation escalated resulting in the fatal shooting of 23-year-old George Alejandro Castellanos. Doral police officers quickly responded to the scene, engaging in an exchange of gunfire with the perpetrator.
During the altercation, two officers discharged their weapons, leading to the injury of one officer while six innocent bystanders were also wounded. The injured officer, with four years of service, managed to apply a tourniquet immediately, stabilizing his condition.
Among the injured bystanders, a woman and five men were reported, with one victim in critical condition at Jackson Trauma Center while another was taken to Kendall Regional Trauma Center. The remaining victims are in stable condition, as stated by spokesperson Alicia Neal.
Witnesses in the vicinity, like William Suedois, described the harrowing experience of hearing gunfire and feeling the intensity while they were nearby. The investigation is ongoing with the assistance of Miami-Dade Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.