Scott Paul Beierle, 40, allegedly opened fire in a Tallahassee yoga studio Friday evening, killing two people and injuring five others. Beierle was dead when officers arrived at the scene, seemingly of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Chief of Police Michael DeLeo says the shooter acted alone, and the community is not at risk. As of yet, the shooter’s motives are unknown, though court records show he had a history of grabbing women.
As reported by the Tallahassee Democrat, Beierle had an arrest history that included grabbing women, as found in Leon County court records.
In 2012, he was arrested on a charge of misdemeanor battery after allegedly grabbing the rears of two women on campus at Florida State University. Then in 2016, he was arrested on another battery charge after allegedly slapping and grabbing a woman’s butt near the swimming pool of the apartment complex he lived in.
While the State Attorney’s Office filed information both times, prosecutors ultimately dropped the charges.
Victims include Dr. Nancy Van Vessem and Maura Binkley. Vessem worked at Florida State University’s College of Medicine, and Binkley was a student at the same institution.
John Thrasher, the President of FSU, gave a statement about those lost to WCTV:
"There are no words to express the shock and grief we feel after learning of the deaths of Maura Binkley and Dr. Nancy Van Vessem. To lose one of our students and one of our faculty members in this tragic and violent way is just devastating to the Florida State University family.
"We feel this loss profoundly and we send our deepest sympathies to Maura's and Nancy's loved ones while we pray for the recovery of those who were injured."
Of the surviving victims, two are in stable conditions. Three have been released from the hospital.
Calls to police came at 5:37 p.m., just minutes after the yoga class was scheduled to begin.
People inside the yoga studio tried to save themselves and those around them, said DeLeo.
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, and Democratic nominee for Florida governor, attended a Shabbat service in South Florida, held to honor the 11 people murdered at the
Pittsburgh synagogue shooting last weekend. After the Shabbat, he met the victims of the Tallahassee shooting.
"The truth is that these occurrences have become far too frequent in our society," Gillum said. "I would ask that the community continue to lift up the victims, those who are still recovering from their injuries."
Gillum told reporters that of the surviving victims, one woman had been shot nine times, and the other had a bullet pass through her body.
Ron DeSantis, who is
running against Gillum, and a major Trump ally, tweeted his prayers.
Rick Scott, the current Governor of Florida, also tweeted his prayers.