NYPD: Two South Florida men dead in apparent murder-suicide

crime scene

One male was transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center Saturday evening, after suffering from gunshot wounds, said Teri Barbera, spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Photographer: AP Graphics Bank
Copyright Associated Press

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Posted: 05/12/2012

DAVIE, Fla. -

A Davie man was killed in a cafe at a New York City hotel during a lunchtime business meeting Thursday, police said.

The shooter, a Sunny Isles Beach resident, then turned the gun on himself and aimed the fatal shot at his chin.

The shooting unfolded inside the Hilton Garden Inn in Queens about 12:30 p.m.

The victim, Brian Weiss, 31, and gunman, Gary Zalevsky, 47, both died at the scene, New York City police spokesman Officer Michael DeBonis said.

According to police, Zalevsky walked over to the victim during the meeting and shot him in the head multiple times with a 9mm semi-automatic firearm.

"He then turned the firearm on himself and shot himself underneath the chin," DeBonis said.

Weiss and Zalevksy were joined by four other men, who witnessed the shooting, he said. Detectives detained and questioned the four and released them. None was charged with any crimes, DeBonis said.

"We believe the meeting was a business venture," DeBonis said, "It had gone sour."

Hotel employees were also at the scene during the murder-suicide.

An unidentified hotel employee told the New York Post: "There were two dead guys slumped over in chairs. I can't believe this happened where I work."

Police did not know what type of business the men were engaged in.

According to the Post, Weiss was the chief executive officer of FWM Laboratories, a food-supplement company that was sued in 2009 on charges of falsely claiming that Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Mehmet Oz endorsed its products.

Florida's Better Business Bureau gave the Hollywood company an F grade and logged close to 5,900 complaints against it. It was founded four years ago.

Hotel guest Lance Beard told the Post he was not too worried about staying at the Queens hotel.

"Am I leaving? No, with all the police here, this is probably the safest place to be."

Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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