DORAL, Fla. – Nine people were shot, two of whom have died, following a police-involved shooting early Saturday morning at the shopping mall CityPlace Doral, according to WPLG Local 10.
The shooting occurred around 3:30 a.m. at Martini Bar, off Northwest 36th Street.
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Police confirmed that two Doral police officers fired their weapons and one of the two officers was struck by gunfire.
According to authorities, officers responded to Martini Bar after receiving reports about a shooting.
“Around 3:15 or 3:30 in the morning, I heard three initial gunshots,” William Suedois, who lives in an apartment building nearby, said. “Didn’t really know where it was coming from. I thought it was fireworks. Then I heard probably 10 or 15 directly after that -- very, very fast and very loud. It was very scary -- very scary.”
“When you heard that, did you know it was gunshots?” Local 10′s Trent Kelly asked.
“Absolutely,” he said. “And my apartment is pretty close to all the music -- it was very loud. I felt it in my chest. Not gonna lie, it was pretty scary.”
Local 10 was told an argument happened amongst patrons inside the bar and a security guard stepped in.
The security guard was fatally shot.
Police confirmed that uniformed officers were already in the area as part of the late night security detail. They responded to the scene and exchanged gunfire with the suspect, ultimately killing him.
One of the two Doral police officers were injured in the shootout and was rushed to a hospital. He is expected to be OK.
Police said six innocent bystanders were caught in the crossfire – four males and two females.
Two of those victims are listed in critical condition at this time and the rest are stable.
Investigators are trying to determine whose gunfire they were hit by.
“The officer shot and killed the subject, however, the officer also sustained a gunshot wound to the lower extremity,” Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said.
“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.
Miami-Dade police are now investigating the homicide portion of this, while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates the officer-involved shooting part. Staff from the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office were also spotted at the scene after the shootout.
Several witnesses have been detained for questioning, and police say they are not searching for any suspects.