Disgruntled former gym employee Abeku Wilson murdered his coworkers, turned gun on himself: Killer Bods investigate on ID

In May 2017, bodybuilder Abeku Wilson was fired from his job at the Equinox gym in Coral Gables in Florida, by all accounts, a job that he loved. A short time after his dismissal, he returned to the gym with a handgun and fired multiple shots at the general manager and another trainer, before turning the gun on himself.

Wilson’s targeting was not random; he specifically avoided the public on the training floor and went straight to his victims at the staff offices. The 33-year-old Wilson shot general manager Janine Ackerman, 35, and fitness manager Marios Hortis, 42, he then shot himself. Ackerman and Hortis were airlifted to hospital, but neither survived their wounds.

Eyewitnesses who bumped into Wilson before the shooting spree commented that he had not seemed his usual self on the day. He was usually “very buttoned-up, very proper, very appropriate,” said one former client of Wilson; however, on the day of the shooting, he “seemed to be slurring his words” and hadn’t shaved.

The shooting happened at about 1 pm on a Saturday afternoon in an upscale shopping area a few miles from the University of Miami campus. The incident caused shoppers, diners, as well as gym users to run for safety as shots rang out.

Coral Gables police rushed to the scene as the area was put on lockdown. Wilson, on seeing a police officer, allegedly ran into a bathroom and shot himself.

Wilson had been let go earlier in the day and was escorted from the premises. His dismissal was reportedly “due to workplace violence,” although authorities did not elaborate on what this workplace violence entailed.

Wilson had been involved with the police previously when he was charged with leaving the scene of an accident. However, he was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing.

Killer Bods can be seen at 8/7c on Investigation Discovery.