It happened at around 1 p.m. Saturday at the Equinox gym in the upscale Village of Merrick Park shopping mall in Coral Fables, Fl. Two people were shot before the gunman killed himself. The Miami-Dade Police Department together with the Coral Gables Police Department reportedly secured the crime scene by 1:45 p.m.
Two Equinox managers and former trainer dead
The victims were confirmed by Equinox as being Janine Ackerman, 35, who worked as the gym’s general manager, and Marios Hortis, 42, a fitness manager. The shooter was identified as a disgruntled former trainer with the gym, Abeku Wilson, 33, who committed suicide by turning the gun on himself after the shooting.
Reportedly Wilson was popular with clients at the fitness centre, but had been let go on Saturday and escorted off the property. He later returned to the gym with a gun and shot the two managers. Reportedly one other person was critically wounded, according to police. Those injured were taken by helicopter to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Report: Gunman who allegedly shot and injured 2, then committed suicide at Equinox gym was University of Miami grad https://t.co/5vBEjpVMru pic.twitter.com/jhvgifS4wS
— Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) April 8, 2017
Village of Merrick Park shopping mall evacuated
According to NBC-10, a witness told them that everyone in the gym panicked when the shots were fired.
Security in the mall then issued an audio alert which advised people to evacuate the premises or seek shelter. The mall was then placed on lock down and many people in the outdoor dining areas scrambled for safety.
Gunman reported at the Equinox Fitness Club at Merrick Park in Coral Gables. Avoid the area! pic.twitter.com/MVEsGIGLmC
— Joel Franco (@OfficialJoelF) April 8, 2017
CNN quoted Alvaro Zabaleta, a Miami-Dade Police Officer, as saying they initially thought it was an active shooter situation.
However, a Coral Gables police officer was reportedly on the scene, who quickly determined it had been a targeted shooting.
A statement was released to employees on Saturday by the CEO of Equinox, Harvey Spevak, to say one former employee and two current employees had been involved in a shooting incident. Initially, he would not release their names, as he did not know if their families had yet been contacted.
However on Sunday the employees’ names were released by the company.
According to a report by People, Ackerman had worked for Equinox for almost two years and was promoted to General Manager last August. Hortis had been working as a fitness manager for Equinox for over six years. The gym management then went on to send their thoughts and prayers to all who had been impacted by the tragedy, saying they were available to answer any questions employees might have.
