Story highlights Shooting followed a dispute between an ex-employee and manager at a fitness club

The gunfire sent shoppers running for cover, witnesses say

(CNN) A former employee at a Florida gym opened fire on former co-workers during a dispute Saturday, leaving two people dead, officials said.

The shootings at the Equinox Fitness Club at the upscale Shops at Merrick Park mall in Coral Gables occurred after an argument between Abeku Wilson, the former employee, and Janine Ackerman, the general manager, police said.

Wilson was fired from the club on Saturday and escorted off the property. He later returned with a handgun, killing Ackerman, 35, and fitness manager Marios Hortis, 42. Another victim was critically wounded, police said.

Wilson, 33, then turned the gun on himself and died at the scene, police said.

"Our sense of loss is too profound for words," the club said in a statement on Sunday.

Police gather outside of the Shops at Merrick Park after a shooting.

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