An “altercation” on the patio of a Miami-area bar sparked a lethal firefight between police and an armed patron early Saturday, according to authorities—who noted that the local department had conducted a mass shooter drill at the same location last year.
Local police addressed the press outside the Martini Bar, where they said a dispute around 3:30 a.m. attracted the attention of a security guard, whom one of the feuding patrons promptly shot and killed. This set off volleys of bullets between the shooter and two Doral cops at the watering hole.
The patron who allegedly killed the guard lost his life in the gun battle, but one of the officers himself suffered a bullet wound—as did six civilians in the scene, two described as in critical condition.
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“Whose gunfire was the one that struck them? It’s too early to know and we may not know for quite some time just yet,” said Detective Alvaro Zabaleta.
Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez noted that exactly one year ago, his department had participated in a “mass casualty, multi agency active shooter drill” at the same establishment where the shootout occurred. Lopez told a reporter that his team does not yet know the cause of the fight that triggered the tragedy.
Police told The Daily Beast that no additional information is available at this time.
