Another Senseless Tragedy: Now in Tallahassee

On Friday, November 2, a gunman walked into Hot Yoga Tallahassee and killed two women before shooting himself. The shooter was identified as Scott Paul Beierle, who identified with “involuntary celibates”: men who are angry at women for rejecting them. Beierle had made misogynistic and hateful comments in YouTube videos in 2014, where he condemned interracial relationships and was disdainful towards women who had previously rejected him.

Though Beierle obviously had misogynistic tendencies, there is no direct connection between him and his victims. He does not appear to have known any of them personally, nor is he related to the yoga studio. His two victims were identified as Nancy Van Vessem and Maura Binkley, the chief medical director for Florida's Capital Health Plan and a graduate of Dunwoody High School, respectively. He injured five other people, two of whom were hospitalized. One of the hospitalized victims had been shot nine times, and the other had a bullet pass entirely through her body.

According to police, Beierle entered the building through the main entrance acting as a customer and then proceeded to open fire on those in the studio without warning. Beierle was found dead when police arrived at the scene.

By Caroline Parrish