Former MN fitness trainer killed in gym shooting in Florida
A fitness trainer who formerly worked in Minneapolis has been killed in a shooting at a gym in Florida.
Mario Hortis, 42, a fitness manager at the Equinox Fitness Center in Coral Gables, was one of two employees shot by Abeku Wilson on Saturday, hours after Wilson was fired from the gym, according to the Miami Herald.
Hortis died in a Florida hospital on Sunday. Wilson was also killed after shooting himself.
Until 2005, Hortis was a trainer at The Firm MPLS, which posted a tribute to him on its Facebook page Monday.
"We are deeply saddened that we lost one of our Firm Family over the weekend," it said. "Mario had a presence you felt as soon as you met him. We will miss Mario’s warm heart and engaging smile. Our hearts are broken."
The Firm's post has prompted comments from those who were trained by Hortis when he was at the Minneapolis gym.
"I just knew he would be an amazing instructor, one of the most charismatic and thoughtful people I have ever had the chance of knowing," Brad Wagner wrote.
According to WCCO, Hortis grew up in St. Cloud and graduated in 1997 from Saint John's University with an economics degree. After initially landing some modeling work, he eventually pursued his true passion of fitness.
Chris Grys, a former manager at the Miami Beach Equinox, described Hortis in a Facebook post as being "a master of your craft, an exceptional teacher, and you changed people's lives for the better."
