Two people are dead and seven were injured in a shooting incident that occurred in a Florida shopping and dining mall early Saturday morning.
City of Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez praised the “heroic actions” of responding officers, who took out the shooter during the exchange of fire in Miami-Dade County.
At around 3:30 a.m., a dispute escalated between two patrons at a martini bar at CityPlace Doral, when a local security guard on duty intervened. One of the patrons then drew a firearm and opened fire, killing the guard.
Two officers of the Doral Police Department who were patrolling the establishment at the time immediately responded. The officers both drew their guns and returned fire, killing the shooter.
“I’m extremely proud of the work of our police officers,” Mr. Lopez told reporters at a news conference. “The heroic actions of our police officers today prevented an incident from escalating.”
Though the shooter was quickly taken out, six bystanders were injured during the exchange of fire—one woman and five men. Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta told reporters that two of the bystanders were taken to local trauma centers in critical condition, the other four he said were in stable condition.
The officer who killed the shooter took a bullet to the leg, and was able to immediately apply a tourniquet on himself before paramedics arrived. He is in stable condition.
Mr. Lopez said the wounded officer owes his life to the extensive training that the police force undergoes.
“Coincidentally, one year ago, to the day, we conducted a mass casualty, multi-agency active shooter drill here at the same establishment,” he noted.
“Although we can never guarantee with 100 percent certainty that an incident like this does not occur, we can definitely ensure that when and if an incident like this occurs in South Florida, we have the capacity, the training and the necessary skill set to immediately diffuse the incident and eliminate the threat,” Mr. Lopez said.
Mr. Zabaleta said investigators were still questioning witnesses to determine the exact circumstances of the event and how the bystanders were shot.
“Whose gunfire was the one that stuck them? It is way too early to know,” Mr. Zabaleta said.
The shooting is under investigation by multiple police agencies. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the officer-involved shooting, Miami-Dade Police are investigating the killing of the guard, and Doral City police are assisting both investigations.
“This is an extremely disappointing day in our South Florida community,” Mr. Lopez said.
“Anytime a law enforcement officer is shot, it tears at the core fabric of our community. But we are grateful that he is alive and in stable condition, and we look forward to completing this investigation.”
