LYNN, MASS. (WHDH) - Two men are facing serious charges after a Planet Fitness in Lynn was hit with a barrage of gunfire on Saturday, sending people working out inside scrambling for safety, officials said.
Jahkeal Browne, 19, of Roslindale, and Kymauri Jean-Lestin, 19, of Lynn, were arraigned Monday in Lynn District Court on charges including armed assault to murder, carrying a loaded firearm weapon, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building.
Browne and Jean-Lestin were both ordered held without bail after entering a plea of not guilty.
A witness who did not want to be identified told 7News that the sudden eruption of bullets turned a routine gym session into sheer chaos for everyone inside.
“People started running. Someone started yelling ‘everyone get down,'” the gymgoer said. “They were basically in a panic mode. The glass started shattering. People were dropping weights.”
No one was hit by the gunfire.
Evidence markers scattered around the gym showed a bullet lodged in the floor just inches away from an elliptical machine.
An off-duty police officer who happened to be in the area heard the shooting and helped track down the suspects after they fled the scene.
The men were said to be in possession of a firearm believed to be used in the shooting, as well as a significant amount of crack cocaine.
The gym has since reopened for business.
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