Family mourns after Crystal River restaurant employee shot and killed
CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. - Early Friday morning, Bailey Ziegler’s life changed forever.
"One of my friends actually got in contact with me," she said. "They called me at 2 a.m., and they were just like, ‘Bailey. I’m so sorry to tell you this, but we heard Eddie got shot,’" Ziegler said.
Ziegler’s 26-year-old brother, Edward Bennis, was shot and killed outside of Norton’s Riverside Bar and Grill in Crystal River just after 1 a.m. on Friday. He worked at the restaurant.
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"He had a lot of plans and goals in his future, and it breaks my heart that he can’t ever experience everything that life does have to offer," Ziegler said. "He was just the most genuine soul you could ever meet."
According to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, 24-year-old Gabriel Trainor got into a fight with a customer at the bar, which continued to the front patio. Bennis tried to stop the argument.
The Sheriff’s Office said Trainor walked to his car. Several minutes later, Bennis went back outside and continued to argue with Trainor, who shot Bennis several times.
"He was my best friend," Ziegler said. "We’ve been pretty much inseparable since we were kids. He always just wanted to protect everybody. He had that in his soul and in his mind."
"To lose Eddie is heart-shattering," she said.
Ziegler said her brother was an extremely hard worker who made everyone feel valued.
"He was my other half, and a lot of people felt that way about him, because that's the kind of person he was," she said. "It's not just me that's hurting. It’s his girlfriend, Lyndsey. It's our entire family. It's all his coworkers, all his friends. Almost anybody he came in contact with has just that shared memory of his smile and his laugh."
Ziegler said she and her brother planned to get matching tattoos to honor their dad who recently died. Now, she and her aunt are getting tattoos in memory of her dad and her brother.
Trainor is charged with second-degree murder and is held without bond. He has a hearing scheduled for Tuesday morning.