Woman shot at Doral bar shares difficult recovery of loved ones; they sue bar, CityPlace

Prior to the April 6 mass shooting at Martini Bar in Doral, a woman, her fiancé and her brother were dancing and celebrating life, taking in the last moments before the bar’s closing.

A few minutes later, they were struck in a hail of bullets after a gunman entered the bar. The gunman, Jamal Wood, shot and killed the bar’s security guard, 23-year-old George Castellanos, an FIU student and father of a 1-year-old daughter. Doral police shot and killed Wood and seven others were injured, including a police officer and the three who had just been dancing, among others.

Yaniris Jerez, 30, and her brother, Miguel Jerez, 34, on Thursday sued the bar’s owners and CityPlace Doral, the popular restaurant-and-retail center where Martini Bar is located, alleging negligence by the club and the center.

Yaniris was shot in the leg; her brother was shot in the stomach and is in the ICU at Jackson Memorial’s Ryder Trauma Center. Yaniris’ fiance, Carlos Milan, 38, was shot four times and remains in critical condition at HCA Florida Kendall Hospital.

At a press conference Friday, attorneys from the the Ferraro Law Firm, the Miami firm representing the sister and brother, showed a video of Yaniris Jerez sitting next to a walker.

“We have a long and difficult road ahead,’‘ she said in the video, translated from Spanish. “I trust in Jehovah God that soon we will be well. Luckily for me, I am at home with my kids, but unfortunately Carlos and my brother are still at the hospital in the ICU with long-term and uncertain prognoses that are still unclear. Although our lives have changed forever, we always feel blessed by the all support we have been received from everyone in the community.”

The lawsuit contends that Martini Bar, owned by MB Direct LLC, which is owned by Louis J. Terminello, Barry Kates and Gerard Patrick “Joe” Delaney, and CityPlace, owned by PARK SQUARE 5 LLC, failed to ensure the safety of its patrons. The suit cites inadequate security measures and the absence of properly trained personnel at the bar. Delaney was among those who was shot.

“Martini Bar Doral’s primary security guard was not present at the time of the incident. Instead, a new security guard [Castellanos], who lacked the proper training and experience, was on duty at the time. As a result, the armed individual entered Martini Bar Doral with a firearm,” the suit says.

James Ferraro, the Miami attorney representing the two siblings, said Friday it was not clear whether Castellanos was the only guard present at the bar. But, Wood, 37, was seen by people in CityPlace before the 3:30 a.m. shooting, he noted.

The lawsuit also alleges PARK SQUARE, CityPlace’s owner, is accountable for the safety of the center’s visitors.

Others wounded in the shooting include one of the Doral officers, who hasn’t been identified; Lester Williams Gonzalez, 28; and Sonia Muñoz Torres, 48.

Terminello, one of the bar owners, said Thursday night, the first night the bar reopened after the shooting, that he would not comment on the litigation.

As part of the reopening, all profits from the bar through Monday will go to Castellanos’ 1-year-old daughter, Everlyn, and family. An online donation site was also set up.