Two people are dead and seven others injured after a shooting incident in Miami-Dade County, Florida early Saturday.
A police officer was among those wounded after an altercation at a commercial establishment in Doral City turned deadly when someone pulled a gun. A security guard who attempted to intervene was shot and killed, police said.
The quick response and "heroic actions" from City of Doral police officers at the scene "prevented an incident from escalating," Chief of Police Edwin Lopez told reporters at a news conference.
According to police, at around 3:30 a.m. there was a dispute between patrons at a martini bar at CityPlace Doral. When a security guard attempted to intervene, police say one of the patrons drew a firearm and fatally shot the guard.
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Two Doral Police officers were working the establishment at the time and immediately responded. The officers drew their weapons and returned fire at the shooter.
One Doral police officer was hit in the lower extremity during the exchange of gunfire. He shot and killed the shooter, Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said.
The wounded officer was able to apply a tourniquet on himself and is now in stable condition, Lopez said.
Police said a total of six bystanders were struck by gunfire, one woman and five men. Two of the bystanders were transported to local hospitals in critical condition.
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Multiple police agencies are investigating the shooting. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the officer-involved shooting, Miami-Dade Police are investigating the homicide and Doral City police are assisting both investigations, Lopez said.
The chief observed that one year ago, to the day, Doral City Police conducted a mass casualty, multi-agency active shooter drill at CityPlace Doral, which he attributed to preventing further loss of life.
"Although we can never guarantee with 100% 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," Lopez said.
He praised the responding officers for their bravery and swift, decisive actions.
"This is a extremely disappointing day in our South Florida community. 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."
