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A gunman opened fire inside the Equinox fitness center at the Shops at Merrick Park early afternoon Saturday, leaving two dead and one person wounded at the upscale Coral Gables mall anchored by Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, police said
"A popular personal trainer who apparently had been fired from his job earlier in the day fatally shot one of his former co-workers and critically wounded another at the Equinox fitness center in Coral Gables on Saturday afternoon before killing himself. The 12:55 p.m. shooting shut down the upscale Shops at Merrick Park mall and scattered scores of scared shoppers and Equinox members onto the surrounding streets, many of them clad in exercise clothes and holding nothing but their workout towels.
Witnesses identified the shooter as Abeku Wilson, a 33-year-old bodybuilder who had worked at Equinox for years but, according to two employees, had been let go shortly before he returned to the gym with a handgun, took aim and opened fire. Five gunshots,” said Ovi Viera, 41, a nurse from Coconut Grove who was washing his hands in the men’s locker room when he heard the bangs. “It was too loud for it to have been a weight dropping. Within two seconds, people just started running out.
Wilson shot Janine Ackerman, 35, the gym’s general manager, and Marios Hortis, 42, a fitness manager, witnesses said. One person who declined to be identified said Ackerman did not appear to be moving after being shot in the head. Hortis was conscious and asking for help but bleeding heavily, the witness said."
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"A popular personal trainer who apparently had been fired from his job earlier in the day fatally shot one of his former co-workers and critically wounded another at the Equinox fitness center in Coral Gables on Saturday afternoon before killing himself. The 12:55 p.m. shooting shut down the upscale Shops at Merrick Park mall and scattered scores of scared shoppers and Equinox members onto the surrounding streets, many of them clad in exercise clothes and holding nothing but their workout towels.
Witnesses identified the shooter as Abeku Wilson, a 33-year-old bodybuilder who had worked at Equinox for years but, according to two employees, had been let go shortly before he returned to the gym with a handgun, took aim and opened fire. Five gunshots,” said Ovi Viera, 41, a nurse from Coconut Grove who was washing his hands in the men’s locker room when he heard the bangs. “It was too loud for it to have been a weight dropping. Within two seconds, people just started running out.
Wilson shot Janine Ackerman, 35, the gym’s general manager, and Marios Hortis, 42, a fitness manager, witnesses said. One person who declined to be identified said Ackerman did not appear to be moving after being shot in the head. Hortis was conscious and asking for help but bleeding heavily, the witness said."
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