Abeku Wilson Equinox shooting: A well liked and popular Goral Gables, Florida persona trainer kills fellow workers after being fired earlier in the day.
Abeku Wilson a former Equinox trainer has shot two colleagues dead before fatally turning the gun on himself at upscale, Shops at Merrick Park, Florida shopping center.
The shooting at Equinox Fitness Club in Coral Gables came early Saturday afternoon as startled gym visitors worked out.
A report via the Miami Herald told of Wilson, 33, targeting the gym’s general manager Jeanine Ackerman, 35, who later died and personal trainer, Mario Hortis, 42, who was critically injured, before shooting himself.
Reports come Sunday morning told of Hortis mortally succumbing to his injuries.
Detective Alvaro Zabaleta of the Miami-Dade Police Department told The Daily Beast the ex-employee targeted the two victims after a managerial dispute led to him being fired Saturday.
A witness saw Ackerman on the floor unconscious and said Hortis was bleeding heavily but was conscious following the shooting.
Wilson was found dead on the scene when authorities arrived.
A helicopter from the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue landed on the field of Coral Gables Senior High School and transported the wounded to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.
Ironically, the shooting comes as Wilson was considered one of the most popular trainers at the gym. The usually clean shaven trainer had appeared at the him Saturday morning looking disheveled, with a former client saying Wilson seemed to be slurring his words.
Told Mark Sarnoff, ‘He wasn’t clean-shaven, which was unusual.’
A report via Local 10 News told of the shooter being a fitness model who appeared in various print brochures. He was born in Boston and lives in Miami.
Told Eveliny Bastos-Klein who had a training session with Wilson shortly before the shooting took place at 12:55 p.m, ‘He did not seem unusual’.
Adding, ‘He did not seem unusual, Not distracted. I didn’t notice anything amiss.’
She described Wilson as an impressive trainer and said Saturday was no different.
‘As always, he was great,’ she said. ‘Just very professional and polite and calm.’
Flood of cop cars outside #MerrickPark after shooting inside #Equinox that resulted in at least one death. pic.twitter.com/5Dw3bbfi3t
— Amanda Plasencia (@AmandaNBC6) April 8, 2017
Equinox manager Janine Ackerman, killed in today’s Merrick Park shooting, remembered as “the greatest person ever” https://t.co/LaIs1IkCHg pic.twitter.com/QXeYmNjO6O
— Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) April 9, 2017
Second Equinox shooting victim, Marios Hortis, has died, Equinox tells members. pic.twitter.com/mBhlmb4oO4
— Doug Hanks (@doug_hanks) April 9, 2017
Of note, according to a search of public records, Wilson was not known to have a criminal history in Florida. How Wilson came to acquire the weapon prior to the shooting isn’t understood.
How or why Wilson came to be fired is yet to be understood or whether the trainer had been issued former warnings before Saturday’s termination.
A profile on a modeling website from 2014 lists his height as 6’2 and his weight as 175 pounds. He appears much bigger in recent photographs.
A description on the site described Wilson as, ‘God-fearing, outgoing, charismatic, versatile, ambitious, kind hearted, and has a youthful and loving sense of humor. He has a positive attitude and appreciates and enjoys the simple things in life.’
Wilson’s Instagram page depicted the personal trainer being a dedicated bodybuilder as well as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blue belt, and practicing Muay Thai. He was also a regular RX Muscle contestant.
Wrote Wilson in part on his Instagram page 9 months ago: ‘With everything going on in our country it’s easy for us to point fingers at each other and fight over social media! But what are we really doing to help solve the problems in our society?! I realized I was doing absolutely nothing but fighting online and adding to the divide so I decided to change that and help in a way I felt would add not subtract from the community… I’m not a big protestor type of guy and felt I could be more productive by spending my free time mentoring underprivileged inner city kids! So I challenge my family and friends to do the same… Give back in whatever way you see fit to your community! Let’s make a difference together!’
In the hours after the shooting, friends took to Wilson’s facebook page, with one person writing, ‘You were always a stand up humble, hardworking guy focused in helping others,’
Adding, ‘We all have our dark days and internal demons and somehow, someway they overcame you. [M]y prayers to the families of all.’
