A gunman opened fire inside an Equinox fitness club at the Village of Merrick Park in Coral Gables, Florida, around 1 p.m. on Saturday, which left two people injured, PEOPLE reports.
The Miami Herald reported that police said the shooter is dead and it is believed that he committed suicide after firing his gun.
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Equinox member Shed Boren told The Herald the incident involved a disgruntled trainer.
“I had just left Equinox,” he said. “I heard from my trainer that it was a trainer that had been let go. The general manager and one of the trainers were shot.”
There was panic in the gym when shots were fired, a witness told NBC-10. The upscale mall was placed on lockdown, sending many at its outdoor dining areas scrambling to get under tables.
Security issued a 15-minute audio alert advising “emergency, evacuate or seek shelter,” according to Instagram video posted of the scene.
Shooting at #merrickpark #coralgables #florida#workflo
A post shared by Kimber0308 🌞🌴🌞🌴 (@kskye71) on
@LDixon_3 @wsvn @WPLGLocal10 helicopter at Coral Gables High. Developing situation at Village of Merrick Park pic.twitter.com/2NxG7uDUk6
— JC Diaz-Padron (@jcdiazpadron) April 8, 2017
The Coral Gables Police Department and Miami-Dade Police Department surrounded the mall, securing the crime scene by 1:45 p.m., ABC-7 reported.
Those injured were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center via helicopter, NBC-10 reported, which landed at the nearby Coral Gables Senior High School’s sports field.
Equinox CEO Harvey Spevak released a statement to employees Saturday, writing:
“On behalf of the Executive Team, I am writing with the sad news that an employee-involved shooting took place at our Coral Gables club earlier today. Two current employees and one former employee were involved in the incident. We are not yet releasing the names of the victims, as we cannot confirm that their families have been notified. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident is ongoing and we are awaiting further details from the authorities. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted by this terrible tragedy. We wanted to alert you, our Equinox family, directly. We are here to answer any and all questions that we can.”
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[H/T PEOPLE]
