Doral police pursue martini bar owner, security company months after mass shooting

DORAL, Florida – Two Doral police officers have filed a lawsuit against the owner of Martini Bar Doral and a private security company following a mass shooting that occurred almost three months ago that left one officer seriously injured and a private security guard dead, according to court documents obtained by Local 10 News Tuesday.

The shooting took place on April 6 at the Martini Bar in Downtown Dorallocated at 3450 NW 83rd Ave.

Prosecutors say Doral Police Officers Andre A. Romo and Ricardo A. Acevedo were patrolling the area off-duty when an argument broke out involving Jamal Wayne Wood, 37, who entered the bar with a gun.

Authorities confirmed that Wood began shooting at customers, killing one security guard and injuring seven others, including the two responding officers. Wood also died at the scene.

The complaint, filed Monday, alleges that the 23-year-old security guard who was killed, George Alejandro Castellanosfather of one, had not received adequate safety training after being hired.

The lawsuit claims the nightclub owners had a “responsibility to protect individuals by thoroughly searching patrons for weapons before allowing them to enter.”

The two officers are seeking damages in excess of $50,000, excluding attorneys' fees and costs, according to court records.

“While our duty as police officers is to protect and serve, our own lives must also be protected. I feel extremely fortunate to be alive,” Acevedo said in a news release Tuesday.

“I almost didn't make it home to my wife and children because of a completely preventable incident and simple safety precautions,” Romo also said in the press release.

“Had proper security measures been in place, the lives of those present, including Officers Romo and Acevedo, would not have been endangered,” said Bernardo Pimentel, the trial attorney at Leesfield & Partners, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the officers.

The Castellanos family had has already filed a complaint against the same owners shortly after the incident.

The ongoing lawsuits highlight “concerns about safety protocols and liabilities at nightlife establishments,” attorneys for the Castellanos family said in April.

Acevedo's lawyers also released photos of the injuries he suffered after the shooting, which you can see below.

Read the court documents here: