Doral cops pursue Martini bar after fatal shooting at CityPlace – NBC 6 South Florida

Two Doral police officers are suing the owners of a bar and a private security company after a fatal shooting, accusing them of negligence and alleging the “preventable” incident left them both with serious injuries.

Officers Andre Romo and Ricardo Acevedo were “off duty,” according to the complaint, when they responded to a shooting on April 6 at CityPlace’s Martini Bar on 83rd Avenue NW. The first 911 calls began coming in around 3:30 a.m.

Miami-Dade police say Jamal Wayne Wood, 37, began shooting indiscriminately when a fight broke out inside the establishment, killing George Alejandro Castellanos, 23, a private security guard who intervened.

Officers were involved in a shootout with Wood, who was ultimately killed, police said.

The lawsuit says officers applied a tourniquet to the nightclub owner's gunshot wound, saving his life.

Romo and Acevedo are now suing Martini Bar, Park Square 5, Madison Marquette Real Estate Services and SFM Security Services for at least $50,000 in damages.

They claim Castellanos “was recently hired and did not have adequate safety training that could have prevented the incident.”

“The owners of this popular nightclub had a responsibility to protect all individuals by properly searching patrons for weapons before entering the establishment,” the complaint states.

Acevedo suffered what the lawsuit claims were seriously disabling and permanent injuries after being shot in the leg, inches from his femoral artery.

Romo was unable to recover from debilitating post-traumatic stress that impaired his ability to perform as an officer, the lawsuit alleges.

“I almost didn't make it home to my wife and kids because of a completely preventable incident and simple safety precautions,” Romo said.

New 911 calls detail the panic and chaos that unfolded at a CityPlace Doral bar when a gunman killed a security guard before being shot and killed by police earlier this month. NBC6's Laura Rodriguez reports

Martini Bar did not respond to a request for comment.

According to the complaint, Martini Bar Doral's protocol is to “search patrons at the door for weapons and firearms. The main security guard at Martini Bar Doral was not present at the time of the incident. Instead, a new security guard, who did not have the proper training and experience, was on duty in the absence of the main security guard.”

A Martini Bar employee who spoke to NBC6 anonymously after the shooting shared a similar account.

“Our main excavation manager for the last three or four years wasn't here Friday night for the first time,” the employee said at the time. “It was a brand new guy who was there.”

The plaintiffs allege that the bar “failed to implement adequate procedures governing the searching and inspection of patrons prior to their entry into Martini Bar Doral; or, failing to do so, implemented such procedures in a reckless and negligent manner.”

Seven other people were injured in the shooting. Some of those victims have also filed lawsuits against the facility and CityPlace.

In May, Doral city leaders took the first step toward tightening security measures and possibly canceling the final call for alcohol in response to the shooting.

Castellanos' mother told NBC6 that he is the father of a 2-year-old daughter and is set to graduate from Florida International University in May. He received a posthumous degree from FIU in late April.