Killer Bods (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 2 - Pride and Payback - full transcript

A place for the elite...

It attracts a lot
of the local celebrities,

Athletes, and politicians.

...To pump iron and boost ego.

You would think
you're, like, in an oasis --

High-end, rich, swanky crowd.

But competition here is stiff.

Personal training
can be very competitive.

If you don't hit
certain numbers,

You're probably not
going to be there.

And when shattered pride...



He looked like an action figure,
and he was a very likable guy.

...Leads to vengeance...

This man was literally
able to recarve himself

Into a shape
that he wanted to be.

...The world
can change in a heartbeat.

My heart just literally
fell down into my stomach.

I was just saying,
"my god. My god.

This can't be real.
This cannot be real."

It was a terrible day.

There's a special place

Less than five miles
from downtown miami,

And it feels like a world away.

Coral gables, florida,

Is one of the most beautiful
neighborhoods in miami-dade.



It is a very lush, well-to-do,

Well-heeled part
of south florida

With mediterranean-style homes.

It is one of the more exclusive
and ritzy parts

Of south florida.

At the heart of this enclave
sits merrick park,

An upscale mall for floridians
with money to burn.

It's home to some of

The highest-end shops
and boutiques

Where you can dine
and have a drink

And maybe rub elbows
with celebrities

And the lawyers and executives
and the politicians

That live in the neighborhood.

And in a community that puts
a premium on outward appearance,

Where you're only as good
as you look,

Merrick park mall is also home

To a sprawling
exclusive health club

With all the bells and whistles.

The equinox gym
is really targeting people

That have the money
and the time

To be able to work
on their bodies.

The thing that most of the
high-end clientele there like

Is the personal trainers.

The personal trainers are there
to give them

That one-on-one attention,

Make them look beautiful,

And have that south florida
shine to them.

Not every personal trainer
can get a job at equinox.

What they expect
is extraordinary

Because their facilities
are extraordinary.

If you're a personal trainer
at equinox,

It's because you want to be
a personal trainer full-time.

That's your profession,
and this is a real job.

For those trainers
who make the cut,

It can be very rewarding work.

Just all kind of clientele,
from celebrities to athletes.

Personal training can be
anywhere from $100

To $170 per session.

In the close quarters of a gym,

Strong bonds are often formed.

The people at equinox,
they hung out together,

They laughed together,
they cried together.

It really was
a tight-knit community.

You usually get there
at 5:30 or 6:00 a.M.,

Training people all the way
until 8:00 or 9:00 p.M.,

Sometimes even 10:00 p.M.

You're going to become close
with the other trainers

That you work with.

In 2009, five trainers
started at equinox --

Abeku, arthur,
julio, angel, and hamad.

So, these guys just bonded
over a weekly basketball game.

They would work out together.

As the young trainers
begin their careers,

They run into
the biggest obstacle

Of any fitness trainer --

Getting clients.

It's a service-based industry,
so if you don't have a client,

Then you're not making money.

I would be there sometimes
from like 5:00 a.M.

All the way till, like, close,
in the late evening.

I'm just there to develop a name
for myself

So that I'll be able
to get some clients,

And that definitely adds
a layer of stress.

Among the cadre
of personal trainers,

There's one who soars
above the everyday pressures --

25-year-old abeku wilson.

He has no problem attracting
clientele, especially women.

When abeku started at equinox,

He pretty much
hit the ground running.

He excelled, like,
one step at a time.

We were hired together.

So he would say to me, you know,
from time to time

Like, "look,
I know you moved out here.

Like, if you need help in this
whole process, let me know."

He would check in
and just see how I was doing.

Definitely made me feel good.

His work ethic was amazing.

He was a very respectful
and likable guy.

They were very happy with him.

Abeku definitely
made an impression.

He was someone
that was always smiling

And was always just outgoing
with people.

And he was
a very renaissance-type man.

The part-time model
holds a business degree

From the university of miami.

He's also a master
in several martial arts.

He really knew
what he was doing.

He was very well-educated.

He knew how to communicate
and motivate people.

He had high-profile clients.

He actually delivered results
for those clients.

Abeku wilson was loved
in that gym.

To his clients and coworkers,

Abeku was an embodiment
of the gym's signature phrase,

"it's not fitness. It's life."

When I first met him,
he was actually a lot leaner.

Later on, he started competing
in bodybuilding-style physique.

He got a lot bigger then.

If anyone has done
any kind of exercise,

We know how difficult it is
to reshape our bodies,

And this man was literally
able to recarve himself

Into a shape
that he wanted to be.

His abs were, like, insane.

And with his business degree,

He knows just how
to market them.

He took his image
very, very seriously.

Abeku was really becoming adept
at harnessing social media

For recruiting new clients.

People saw him on instagram,
and, you know,

You see this chiseled body
in competitions

And, you know,
holding up trophies

And putting a lot of
inspirational stuff on his page.

Abeku became
a superstar at equinox

Because he was really good
at personal training,

And plus, he looked like
an action figure.

I remember seeing it all happen.
I was like, "man, I'm behind."

The volume and caliber
of his clients

Have him outearning
the managers.

Plus, he can tailor
his own schedule.

Whereas other personal trainers
might come in before sunup

And leave, you know,
almost at closing time,

Abeku has fashioned himself
a clientele that was high-end

That could afford
to work out during the day.

He was someone that brought in
so many clients

And had done so well
with so many clients

That, I think, he sort of had
this charmed existence.

For abeku,
who's going through a divorce,

There are additional perks
of the job.

He was known as someone
who was very flirtatious,

Not only with clients
and guests at the gym,

But also with coworkers.

He was a little bit of a
casanova in the gym scene there.

He was known as a playboy.

He really liked
and spent a lot of time

With a lot of different women.

As abeku's success grows,

It can't help but put pressure
on the other trainers.

Personal training
can be very competitive.

The more sessions you hit,
the more you get paid.

So if you don't hit
certain numbers,

You're probably not
going to be there.

Every month, there's a report,

And he was definitely
in the top every month.

If you didn't hit
certain metrics,

There's added pressure,
and you almost feel embarrassed,

And the way people deal with
that is unique to each person.

The trainers here work hard
and play even harder.

Horsing around
and practical jokes

Help release
some of the pressure,

But not for everyone.

It appeared as though
abeku wilson

Took this path very seriously
and very personally.

So he was kind of
a really serious guy,

Being a trainer
and his body and discipline.

So I don't know if there was
any room for pranks

Or any room for jokes.

In 2015,

After six years of riding high
as a premier trainer,

Abeku treats himself
to a new car.

But one day after work,

The serious-minded fitness coach
gets a jolt.

What begins as
a lighthearted prank

Marks the beginning
of a deadly chain of events.

Coral gables premier
fitness trainer abeku wilson

Is rattled to find
his new sports car

Is the target of
a practical joke.

Abeku finds his car
filled with strange objects.

He is not amused.

Abeku was sufficiently
upset enough

That he called the police
to complain about it.

Two of abeku's coworkers
quickly step forward,

Telling police it was simply
a practical joke

And was meant in fun.

Abeku, however,
insists on pressing charges.

And the police arrested
two of his colleagues

Who had been involved
in this prank.

It was pretty telling
that he didn't tell the police,

"hey, don't arrest them.

This isn't a big deal.
Just forget about it."

Once they figured out
what happened,

He let the police
arrest these coworkers

And deal with
the legal consequences.

Abeku's personality
was fascinating.

On the one hand,
people would say

That he was charming
and generous

And very, very warm,
but he could turn on a dime

And suddenly become very aloof,
grumpy, and to himself.

I can see how he didn't
take that prank very well,

And anybody making light
of that situation

Would probably
rub him the wrong way.

Ultimately,
no charges are filed,

And the matter is dropped,

But damage has been done
to the close-knit gym family.

Luckily,
the gym has recently

Brought in a new
general manager.

34-year-old janine ackerman

Has a knack for smoothing over
rough patches.

Janine was
a very vivacious personality.

She was someone that really
made a deep impression on people

Because she was
so personable.

She knew how to
deal with people.

She knew how to really
make them feel welcome

And make them feel important.

She was someone that was
very, very well-regarded,

And people really
gravitated toward her.

Janine was a leader of people.

That's why she was given
more responsibility

Than, perhaps,
her age warranted.

It's why she was so successful,

Because people wanted
to please her.

Steven moll first met janine
a decade earlier, in 2004,

When she came to
florida international university

In miami

To study hospitality management.

Of the tens of thousands of
grad students he's advised,

Janine holds a special place.

Janine was one of
the most memorable students

I ever had
the pleasure of teaching.

Instantly, you knew
that she was a superstar,

And we became very good friends

As soon as
I started advising her.

After graduate school,

Janine works at
two prominent miami hotels

Before landing an incredible job

At the largest and perhaps
most luxurious resort

In south florida --

Miami's fontainebleau hotel.

If you know anything
about the fontainebleau,

It's a historic
and very famous place in miami

That has catered to stars
and celebrities

And rich tourists
for decades.

So, it's a great job.
It's also a very stressful job.

And it's far removed
from her roots.

Janine is from
southern new jersey.

Her family has a farm.
She's one of four kids.

Just as grounded a person
as you'd ever want to meet.

She could dress up
and be glamorous,

But she could also, you know,
get down and plant strawberries.

So in 2015,

When this former
varsity-college athlete

Becomes general manager
of the coral gables gym,

It's a dream job come true,

Combining janine's love
of athletics

With her passion
for hospitality.

But it also means
handling difficult situations.

Janine is no stranger

To challenging employees
and to challenging clients

And to striking that
delicate balance while at work.

She used to do that
when she was working

At the high-end hotel
in south beach.

That's a big role, managing not
only the day-to-day events,

But also being able
to actually manage

The people
who help run the gym is --

That's a very big
responsibility.

She was confident that she could
get everyone on the same team

And playing nice together
and working nice together.

The staff is tight-knit,

Many having worked together
for 5 to 10 years

And with strong alpha-male
leaders like abeku.

Yet, janine is headstrong.

Under her steady watch,

The incident with abeku's car
is soon forgotten,

And the gym's family reunites,
moves on, and eventually up.

After eight years at equinox,

This core group of guys
that abeku started out with,

They're all elevating.

Arthur and julio have sort of
moved up to management,

But for abeku,
remaining a personal trainer

Really gave him
a lot of flexibility.

It gave him a lot of freedom

To where he could
make a lot of money

And not have to worry
about the responsibilities

That arthur and julio
have to deal with

That come
with being a supervisor.

In early 2016,

The club's top dog
gets some serious competition.

The coral gables facility has
just recruited a star trainer

From their south beach location.

Like abeku,
41-year-old marios hortis

Is a man of many skills.

He had spent his 20s
and 30s modeling.

In fact, he had had billboards

And has appeared
on several ads.

Marios was so impressive.

He traveled around the world,
working as a model.

I think the apex of his career
would be landing on a billboard

In times square.

One of the most impressive
things about marios

Was that he had a degree
in economics,

And he had actually quit his job
in a fortune 500 company

To pursue a career
in personal training,

To pursue this sort of
spiritual side of life.

As part of marios'
career renaissance,

One of the things he loved to do

Was to teach that spiritual
and physical wellness to people.

To further elevate his career,

Marios took a host of different
educational classes,

And he ended up
getting certificates of training

For yoga,
as well as meditation.

Once marios was at
the coral gables location,

His role initially was yoga
and meditation,

But it quickly expanded
to oversee

The popular
trx exercise program.

Marios' classes were legendary.

There was such a long wait list,
and he would even help people

Who were trying
to rehab injuries.

He hit a managerial position

And was very loved

By a lot of the members
and the employees.

With not one but two
larger-than-life trainers

Now on their roster,

The club is firing
on all cylinders.

But over time,

Abeku's behavior is becoming
an issue for management.

He refuses to dress
in the company t-shirts

All trainers
are expected to wear.

I think he ended up
maybe feeling a little entitled,

Maybe feeling like
he was someone

That could push the envelope,

And he knew
he could get away with it

Because he was such
a valuable asset to the gym.

He might poach clients
from other personal trainers,

Which is, like, a huge taboo

Within the personal training
community.

As janine really learned
the nuances

Of the personalities at equinox,

She became increasingly aware

Of a lot of the rumblings
about abeku.

Abeku was sort of like
a walking billboard for equinox.

He lived, breathed,

And just showed off equinox
at every turn,

But he was acting
inappropriately at times.

His liaisons with some
of the clients, obviously,

Was frowned upon and probably
shouldn't have been happening.

Once abeku got divorced,

He really started ratcheting up
his flirtations

And his relationships
with people in the gym,

And that increasingly
became a problem.

Thankfully, just as janine
feels the need to step in,

Abeku begins steering
his outsized drive and energy

Toward the next season
of bodybuilding competitions,

And this time, he's hoping to
take it to a whole new level.

He had been preparing for months
for this competition,

And while he had
won some before,

This particular one seemed
to be really important.

His social media was full
of pictures of him training.

It showed a man who was
extremely disciplined,

Because he had gotten a lot
bigger in the last few years,

And he was really confident
talking about the fact

That he was going to win.

So when things don't go to plan

And he finishes in fourth place,

Abeku is not prepared
for the loss.

It crumbled his world,

Not being able to place
the way he wanted to place

After all of that work
he put in.

He was devastated.

Personal trainer abeku wilson
has spent years

Lifting, pumping, and dieting

In the hopes of moving up from
the amateur bodybuilding ranks

To the pro divisions.

But with only
a fourth-place finish

At a 2017
bodybuilding competition,

He falls short of his goal,

And the rare failure
hits him hard.

Coworkers sense
that he may be descending

Into an emotional tailspin.

Something seemed off with him,

But not enough for it
to be a red flag.

I saw him
lose his temper a few times,

And there's a few times
that I've, you know,

Had to calm him down.

One of the troubling stories

That emerges
from this time period

Comes from the basketball court.

Abeku and his fellow
personal trainers,

They would play
a weekly basketball game,

And in one of these games,

He thought someone
was playing dirty,

And he just -- he just unloaded.

I was on his team,
and he got into it

With someone who fouled me.

He started berating the guy,

And it turned into
a real confrontation,

And miles and arthur
tried calming him down.

Abeku just storms off.

Around the gym,
it was pretty clear

That abeku was having
these mood swings,

That he was becoming a different
and shifting personality.

Janine ackerman
takes note of the change.

Janine was a good
general manager,

And like any good
general manager,

She wanted to find out what was
going on with her employees

Because she wanted them
to be okay.

Her goal was to be

A people-oriented leader
and manager,

And that meant walking around.

She got out there, "hi.
I'm janine. I'm your boss.

What can I do to make your work
experience a better experience?"

As abeku
brushes off the inquiry,

Janine continues to search
for the truth.

So, in janine's
sort of fact-finding mission

About abeku,

She finds out
that he had been dating

And that this new girlfriend
had been cheating on abeku.

Still, given abeku's
prolific dating history,

Janine wonders if there could be
something more going on.

She takes it upon herself
to seek out abeku's ex-wife,

An active member of the gym,

To find out what's troubling
her star trainer.

One of the details
that she finds out

Is that abeku's mother
has terminal cancer.

That might be leading to
some of this unraveling

That we're seeing
at this point from him.

Equinox and janine, they realize

That abeku is going through
a lot in his life.

There's a lot of strands of his
life that are starting to fray,

And so, they realize that,

You know,
he needs some compassion.

In spite of management's
willingness to work with abeku,

The problem intensifies.

It's Monday, April 3, 2017,

And abeku is training a client,

And another trainer
accidentally bumps into her.

And that sparks a confrontation

Between the client
and this other trainer.

A small mistake that's about
to blow up in everyone's face.

The client believes
that this other trainer

Owes her an apology.

There are some words
that are exchanged,

And abeku steps in
with this other trainer.

The situation escalates.

Abeku wilson ends up shoving
this employee against the wall.

All eyes are on
the sparring trainers.

Marios hortis jumped in
to the situation.

Marios,
who is a trusted employee,

Rushed in and diffused the
situation, separated the two.

He really stopped
what could have gotten

To be a really uglier situation
in middle of the gym floor.

The alarming scene leaves
a vivid impression on janine.

I don't think
janine had any choice

But to report this
to the company

Because it was
such an egregious

And such a visible display
of aggression.

Everybody was of the like mind
that abeku just had to go.

This is a decision that is made
at a corporate level.

Now, the task of actually
delivering this news

Falls on the shoulders
of the general manager,

Who is janine.

Janine was tough and firm
when she had to be,

And if she had to fire a person
because they were misbehaving,

She had the ability to do that.

Still, she's filled with dread.

For janine,
it couldn't have been easy.

I mean, despite
his recent troubles,

Abeku was still very,
very popular at equinox.

He was still incredibly
well-liked by the clientele

And by fellow colleagues.

Having worked with abeku
for the last eight months,

Janine is aware of
how deeply he's loved

By his clients
and much of the staff.

Will he be able to handle

Being barred from the dynasty
he's created within the club?

His whole life,
his whole identity

Is based on being this star
at equinox.

To have that taken away
could become a real problem.

Janine places a second call

To abeku's ex-wife.

And it's at that time
that janine learns

Some chilling information.

After eight years as the hottest
personal trainer in town,

Abeku wilson's skirmish on
the gym floor is the last straw.

Equinox is a corporation,

And they're very serious about
their standards and practices

And how employees behave,

And while abeku wilson

Is a top performer at
this specific gym...

...An incident like that,

Out in the open
where members can watch

And other employees
are now witnessing it,

It's essentially
a workplace violence situation.

General manager janine ackerman

Is instructed to fire abeku
by the end of the week,

But first she consults
with abeku's ex-wife

To assess his state of mind.

Abeku's ex tells her that,

During their divorce,
things had gotten really nasty

And that abeku had
become aggressive

And had became violent.

And so,
the advice to janine is,

"you might want to
have some security there

Just in case he decides that
he wants to escalate things."

After talking with abeku's ex,

Janine decides to take
additional precautions

For his termination.

Though there's always
a security guard on duty,

He'd be no match
for abeku alone.

Janine decides, you know,

"let me err
on the side of caution."

She actually takes
the unusual step

Of calling the security office
at merrick park

And requesting that a couple
of security guards be present,

Be on hand for the firing,

Just in case
something goes wrong.

She also needs to get
a fellow manager

To be on hand
during the firing.

Having the manager
there will lend support,

But they'll also act
as a witness.

Janine chooses lazan,
a personal training manager,

To accompany her
during the termination.

They decide to wait
until the weekend.

It's Saturday, April 8th,

A typical carefree day
in coral gables

For the clients

And for the personnel
at equinox.

Janine and lazan
plan to terminate abeku

After his group class ends
at 11:00 a.M.

That morning,
janine gets in about 10:30,

And, of course, it's weighing
heavily on her mind.

She quickly calls mall security

To make sure
that they're going to be there.

The merrick park mall
is on board

With two security guards
ready to assist.

Janine heads on over
to check on abeku.

The plan is, once he's done
with the class,

She's going to lead him over
to an office area

So she can go ahead
and have everyone there

So they can inform him

That he is no longer
an employee of equinox.

Janine
pokes her head into the class.

Based on abeku's enthusiasm,

He doesn't appear to have
any inkling of what lies ahead.

But the morning
won't go to plan.

Janine gets
a text message from lazan,

Who was abeku's direct boss,

And the message is,
"I'm sorry. I'm running late.

I'm not going to
get there on time."

So this whole carefully-crafted
timeline gets thrown for a loop.

Janine is now pressed
to find another manager

To witness abeku's termination.

She turns to miles pimentaro.

Miles pimentaro, who is
the group fitness manager,

Says, "I can be on hand."

So he volunteers to also
assist in the firing.

But there's yet
another curveball.

Miles says, "hey, by the way,

I decided to give abeku
the go-ahead

To add a second hour
to his class."

So little by little,
her well-thought-out plan

Is starting to unravel.

Abeku, unbeknownst to the plans
that are going on,

Is in full swing

In the second hour
of his exercise group class.

Miles says, "look, I'm so sorry.

I didn't realize that
this was going to happen.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have
authorized this extra hour."

Now janine has to make sure

The extra security guards
she requested

Are still available
an hour later

And can be there when
abeku's class lets out at noon.

The delay has
an unintended consequence.

The club's other star trainer,
marios hortis,

Arrives with his girlfriend,
carolina,

Before janine can fire abeku.

So the plan was marios was going
to teach his class at 1:30,

And in that time,
his girlfriend was going to

Go to the gym's spa to sort of
relax while he taught his class.

Finally, at noon, abeku's
group class comes to an end.

As he leaves the fitness room,

Janine discretely asks abeku
to join her and miles

In the back office of the gym.

Janine gets right down
to business.

Janine is very matter-of-fact.

She says it in
a very plainspoken way.

"we regret to inform you that
we are terminating your job."

It must have been difficult,

And it must have been
nerve-racking for janine,

As a general manager,
to have to deliver that news.

Abeku is completely blindsided.

As he's getting emotional
and very distraught,

The security guards go ahead
and escort him off the premises.

The fact that security
was called

Really, really offended abeku,

And he starts sort of,
you know, loudly saying,

"I can't believe it.
I can't believe they called
security on me."

Despite the short disruption
inside the gym,

Abeku is peacefully removed
from the property.

The firing really
hit abeku hard.

This was his life.

Equinox was his identity.

For janine,
it was clearly a weight

That was lifted
off her chest.

She calls her fiancé, and she
tells him it went through,

It went through
without any problems,

The situation is finally over.

Fellow trainer warren hecht

Offers abeku
some emotional support.

Warren, who is
a long-time friend of abeku,

Is consoling him and trying
to talk him through it,

And clearly, he doesn't want
his friend to be alone.

He's not the only coworker
showing his support.

His buddy julio, part of
his weekly basketball crew,

Calls abeku.

Julio says, "hey, man, I just
want to make sure you're okay.

I just want you to know
I'm here for you."

It's at that point abeku says,
"I left something in the gym.

I'm coming back in."

And that immediately raises
some red flags for julio.

A panicked julio alerts janine

That abeku may be coming back in
to collect a backpack.

Sensing a potential threat,

Marios hortis makes his way
to janine's side

To ensure there's no trouble.

- The roller coaster continues.
- Abeku is there.

He's insisting that he
left something in his locker.

Marios and janine
both firmly say,

"you cannot be on the premises,

Even if you left
something there.

You need to leave now."

And abeku complies.

The staff breathes
a collective sigh of relief

As abeku leaves without issue,

But the calm is short-lived.

Minutes later, abeku comes back
through the front door,

And this time,
he's come unglued.

Less than an hour
since he's been fired,

Abeku wilson storms back
into the health club,

Armed with a pistol
and raging.

The first person in his sights

Is general manager
janine ackerman.

Janine happened to be
at the front desk.

Witnesses watched

As he raised his gun
and pointed it at her

And fired several shots.

Marios hortis made his way
to the front desk.

He falls to the ground,
and abeku doesn't stop there.

He strides right up to marios...

...And shoots him again
as he's laying on the ground.

He was shot in the back of
the head and twice in the back.

Waves of terror
sweep through the gym

And the surrounding mall

As people realize
there's an active shooter.

Word quickly spreads
that abeku

Is heading
toward the locker rooms.

Marios' girlfriend and other
women are in the locker room.

They're told,
"there's an active shooter.
There's an active shooter."

And so, they're in this
uncomfortable position

Of having to evacuate without
even being fully clothed.

Witnesses said that he was
looking for a third person.

He kept saying, "where is he?
Where is he?"

Abeku sees miles,
and he's telling miles,

"where's arthur? Where's arthur?
I want to see arthur."

Arthur gibson
started at the gym with abeku.

They even went to college
together.

But whether arthur is
a target or a lifeline,

No one will ever know.

Miles is trying
to calm him down,

Tell him, "look, you don't
want to do this.

You don't want to do this."

It's at that moment
that abeku lifts his gun...

...Takes his own life.

Before police can respond
to dozens of 911 calls,

It's all over.

Miles makes his way back
to the front of the gym.

Marios is still conscious,
and he says out loud,

"I can't feel my legs."

And he also says,

"please tell my girlfriend
that I love her."

You could feel the anxiety
and the chaos

Of not just people
inside the gym,

But also this outdoor mall
full of people.

You know, people were shopping
with their kids.

It was surreal.

And after the chaos,
it was eerily quiet.

The mall that would be,
on a Saturday afternoon,

Buzzing with people
and kids laughing

And people eating
and having a good time

Was eerily quiet,

And all you could see
were the police,

The flashing lights,
and yellow tape

And the anticipation
and waiting to see

If the victims
were going to make it.

Marios' girlfriend, she's
finally allowed to go back in

And get her belongings,
and she gets her phone,

And she's desperately
trying to call her boyfriend

To see if he's okay,

And she has no idea
that he's wounded

And he's laying
on the ground.

Both marios and janine
are airlifted

To a nearby trauma center.

One of the officers eventually
approaches marios' girlfriend

And tells her
the horrible news,

That marios is among the people
who have been shot

And is now at the hospital.

He actually offers
to drive her to the hospital

To be with her boyfriend.

The surgeons had managed to
remove two of the three bullets,

But, ultimately,
marios died from his injuries.

Word of the shooting spreads
quickly through greater miami.

My cellphone went off,

And it was one of my colleagues
from the university.

She said,
"janine has been shot."

By the time I got back home,
janine had passed away.

I was just saying,
"my god. My god.

This can't be real."

The sweetest person on earth.

Who could want to do something
so horrendous?

You don't understand
how can anyone do that,

Especially someone that you knew
and you spent so much time with.

It's a terrible feeling for him
and for his family,

The people that he shot
and their family.

It's...

It's insane.

Back at the gym, a full police
investigation is under way.

There's no question about who's
responsible for the carnage.

Being that the shooting
unfolded in a crowded gym,

There was no shortage
of witnesses.

And, of course,
every witness told police

What they saw
from their vantage point.

The mystery here
is, why did he do it?

My personal experience
with abeku

Was pretty much all positive.

Even though he might have had
this great life on the surface,

Who knows what he was
struggling with on the inside.

Social media comments said
they were just in disbelief.

It just sounded like
abeku just snapped.

There is no way
to make sense of this.

It's a tragic, tragic story.

What comes through most

Is the trauma and utter shock.

There was a candlelight vigil
at merrick park,

And I actually attended
with a few of our friends.

You could feel the sadness
in the space.

It was so senseless
and needless,

And you don't want anything
like this

Ever to happen to anyone
that you know.

And when it does,

It's among the most painful
experiences of your life.

I wish I would have known
so I could help him somehow

And talk him --
calm him down, talk out of it.

You know, I want to remember
that image of us working out

And playing basketball

And the good friend that he was,

And then I put myself
in the position of -- of

The brother, the sister,
the mother or father

Of the people that he killed.

It's a terrible feeling.