TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - The Latest on a shooting at a Florida yoga studio (all times local):
7:05 p.m.
The man who shot and killed two people in a Tallahassee yoga studio appears to have made a series of racist and misogynistic videos four years ago.
Police say that on Friday night Scott Paul Beierle posed as a customer at the yoga studio and then suddenly started shooting people. He killed two women and injured five others. Beierle then fatally shot himself.
In a series of videos that were posted to YouTube in 2014, a man who looks like Beierle criticized how black people dress and speak and called women who date black men “whores.” In another video, the man complained about an “invasion” from Central America, while in another he ranted about the women who he said had caused him to become a misogynist.
A Tallahassee police spokesman would not confirm or deny the videos were Beierle’s, but biographical details mentioned in the videos match known facts about Beierle.
The existence of the videos was first reported by BuzzFeed.
___
4:20 p.m.
A Florida State University college student from Atlanta was one of two people killed in a Tallahassee yoga studio.
The Tallahassee Democrat reported that Maura Binkley was due to graduate in May and she was studying German and editing, writing and media. Her father Jeff Binkley told the newspaper she was hoping to get a job with Teach for America.
Jeff Binkley said that police told him the killing of his daughter was a random act.
Tallahassee police say that on Friday night Scott Paul Beierle posed as a customer at the yoga studio and then started shooting people without warning. He killed two women and injured five others. Beierle then fatally shot himself inside the studio.
Dr. Nancy Van Vessem was also killed in the shooting. She was an FSU faculty member.
___
2:20 p.m.
Tallahassee police say a 40-year-old man posed as customer at a yoga studio and started shooting people without warning, killing two women as patrons tried to fight back.
Scott Paul Beierle then fatally shot himself inside the studio.
Authorities are still trying figure out why he mounted the deadly attack.
The police statement says, “Patrons fought the assailant to prevent him from harming themselves and others.”
Beierle was a graduate of nearby Florida State University but he was living in a city in central Florida. Police were searching Beirele’s residence in Deltona, located east of Orlando.
Beirele had been previously arrested for grabbing women although the charges were eventually dropped. Records also showed that he was banned from the campus of Florida State University in 2014.
The shooting occurred Friday evening in an upscale shopping center.
___
10:30 a.m.
Court records show that the 40-year-man identified as the shooter at a yoga studio in Tallahassee had been previously arrested for grabbing women.
Police say that Scott Paul Beierle shot six people, killing two, and pistol whipped another person before turning the gun on himself.
Beierle was charged by police with battery in 2016 after he slapped and grabbed a woman’s buttocks at an apartment complex pool. Records show that the charges were eventually dismissed after Beierle followed the conditions of a deferred prosecution agreement.
Beierle was also charged with battery in 2012 for grabbing women’s buttocks in a Florida State University campus dining hall. A FSU police report shows that Beierle told police he may accidentally bumped into someone, but denied grabbing anyone.
___
8:30 a.m.
Authorities in Florida’s capital city say two people were shot to death and five others wounded at a yoga studio by a gunman who then killed himself.
Officials at Florida State University said the two slain Friday were an FSU student and faculty member.
Tallahassee Police Chief Michael DeLeo told reporters Friday night that the man shot six people and pistol-whipped another after walking into the studio, which is part of a small shopping center.
The suspect then fatally shot himself, DeLeo said.
DeLeo said the shooter acted alone and authorities are investigating possible motives.
City Commissioner Scott Maddox said on Facebook, “In my public service career I have had to be on some bad scenes. This is the worst. Please pray.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.