DORAL, Fla. – Two city of Doral police officers have filed a lawsuit against the owner of Martini Bar Doral and a private security company following a mass shooting incident nearly three months ago that left one officer severely injured and a private security guard dead, according to court documents obtained by Local 10 News on Tuesday.
The shooting occurred on April 6 at Martini Bar in CityPlace Doral, located at 3450 NW 83rd Ave.
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Prosecutors say Doral Police Officers Andre A. Romo and Ricardo A. Acevedo were patrolling the area on off-duty detail when a dispute broke out involving 37-year-old Jamal Wayne Wood, who entered the bar with a gun.
Authorities confirmed Wood began shooting at patrons, resulting in the death of a security guard and injuries to seven others, including the two responding officers. Wood also died at the scene.
The complaint, which was filed on Monday, alleges that the 23-year-old security guard who was killed, George Alejandro Castellanos, a father of one, had not received proper safety training after he was hired.
The lawsuit claims that the nightclub’s owners had a “responsibility to protect individuals by thoroughly searching patrons for weapons before allowing entry.”
Both officers are seeking damages beyond $50,000, excluding attorney’s fees and costs, according to court records.
“While our duty as police officers is to protect and serve, our own lives need to be protected as well. I feel extremely lucky to be alive,” said Acevedo in a news release Tuesday.
“I almost didn’t make it home to my wife and kids over a completely preventable incident and simple safety measures,” Romo also said in the news release.
“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 Bernardo Pimentel, the trial attorney at Leesfield & Partners, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the officers.
The family of Castellanos had previously filed a lawsuit against the same owners shortly after the incident.
The ongoing legal actions highlight “concerns over security protocols and responsibilities in nightlife establishments,” attorneys for the Castellanos family said back in April.
Acevedo’s attorneys have also released photos of the injuries he sustained following the shooting, which you can see below.
Read the court filings here: