Equinox Victims Remembered at Candlelight Vigil in Florida

(Updated at 11:30 p.m. Sunday) CORAL GABLES — A Coral Gables Police officer was patrolling the Merrick Park shopping center at 12:55 p.m. on Saturday when gunshots pierced the pleasant South Florida afternoon. They came from the toney Equinox gym on the second floor where popular trainer Abeku Wilson lay dying of a self-inflicted wound and the two people he blamed for firing him earlier that day lay critically injured.

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Both of those victims — identified as General Manager Janine Ackerman and Fitness Manager Marios Hortis — would later die at Ryder Trauma Center of Jackson Memorial Hospital after being taken by Coral Gables Fire Rescue to a waiting medical chopper. They were airlifted by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue to Ryder.

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Police said that the 33-year-old Wilson of the 7800 block of North Kendall Drive shot both victims multiple times before turning the gun on himself.

"Further investigation has revealed that the subject, Abeku Wilson, was terminated from his employment on Saturday, April 8, 2017 due to workplace violence and was escorted off the premises," Detective Alvaro Zabalata of the Miami-Dade Police Department told Patch on Sunday. "He then returned to the fitness center armed with a handgun and shot the general manager, Janine Ackerman, multiple times. He also shot Marios Hortis, employee, multiple times and then turned the gun on himself. "

Dozens of people mourned their loss on Sunday night in a candlelight vigil outside the mall.

"Tonight we overcome the darkness," a woman told mourners as they tried to make sense of the tragedy. "Our light expands and heals."

Ackerman lived in the 3500 block of Loquat Avenue in Miami while Hortis lived in the unit block of Alton Road in Miami Beach.

"Our entire Equinox family experienced a terrible tragedy yesterday when a former trainer walked into our club in Coral Gables and shot two members of our team," top executives of Equinox said in a statement on Sunday. "Our sense of loss is too profound for words. Janine was 35-years-old and had been a member of our Equinox family for nearly two years. She was promoted to general manager of our club in Coral Gables last August. She was a kind and caring soul, a person we all loved and will deeply miss. Her memory will never be forgotten."

Equinox said that the 42-year-old Hortis had been with Equinox for more than six years.

"His generous spirit and warm demeanor made him an always welcome presence in our world, one that will be sorely missed. Our love, prayers and condolences are with both families during this terrible time," according to the statement. "The collective Equinox community will always keep Janine and Marios in our hearts. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted by this terrible tragedy. Our most important priority is the safety and security of our team and our community. We will always do everything in our power to ensure that safety in every way possible."

Ackerman earned a master's degree from Florida International University's Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management in 2008. She was remembered by FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg on Sunday as someone who was full of promise.

"She stayed in touch with classmates and Vice Provost and Professor Steve Moll, who followed her career and spoke with her regularly," Rosenberg said in a statement. "Senseless violence has claimed yet another life full of promise. Please keep Janine and her family in your prayers."

The shootings plunged the upscale mall at 4231 South Lejuene Rd. into chaos as shoppers recognized the piercing sounds of a handgun and ran. The mall's emergency notification system kicked on. It directed other businesses of the Shops at Merrick Park to lock down or evacuate.

“This tragic incident was never an active shooter situation," confirmed Coral Gables Police Chief Edward Hudak Jr. "It is believed that all involved in this shooting knew and worked with each other and were targeted specifically.”

Hudak pointed to the "quick actions" of his officers and the security measures in place at the mall that kept the tragedy contained within Equinox "and no other shoppers visiting the mall were put in harm’s way.”

Many people took to social media after the shootings:

Shoppers Roman Lugo, seated, left, Siuris Rodriguez, center, and Chelsea Lugo, right, sit on the pavement after being evacuated from the Shops at Merrick Park after a shooting, (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)