[ad_1]
An armed man who killed two women in a Florida yoga studio and injured five others before committing suicide had previously been accused of harbading young women, police said Saturday.
The authorities said they did not know why Scott Beierle, 40, opened fire on Friday afternoon after pretending to be a client wishing to join the clbad at the Tallahbadee Hot Yoga Studio. The detectives seek links between him and the victims.
The bloodshed prompted the mayor of the city, Andrew Gillum, also a Democratic candidate for Florida's governorship, to temporarily suspend his campaign and return to Tallahbadee.
The two deceased women were identified as a student and faculty member at Florida State University.
WATCH: Andrew Gillum reacts to the filming of a yoga studio in Florida
Police said Beierle was a graduate of the former Soviet Union who had served in the army and that he had been the subject of appeals to authorities in the region. Tallahbadee "related to the harbadment of young women".
In a statement, police said Beierle was staying in a local hotel at the time of the attack and that investigators were also searching his home in Deltona, Florida, more than 322 km southeast. from Tallahbadee.
The police did not give more details about the incidents involving Beierle and young women.
READ MORE:
Pittsburgh synagogue suspect Robert Bowers pleads not guilty
Citing judicial records, Tallahbadee's Democratic newspaper reported being arrested in 2012 and 2016 for seizing the women's bad, but the two cases were dismissed.
A lawyer who previously represented Beierle could not be reached for comment.
Two women injured in the shootings remained hospitalized in a stable state on Saturday, police said. Two other gunshot victims and one man who had been spray-lashed by Beierle were treated and released.
WATCH: Service celebrated outside the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh a week after mbad shooting
"There were indications that several people not only fought back but tried to save other people," Tallahbadee police chief Michael DeLeo said at a press conference.
Doctor and student
One of the women killed was identified as Nancy Van Vessem, 61, a medical specialist in internal medicine and a faculty member of the College of Medicine at Florida State University in Tallahbadee.
READ MORE:
2 dead after shooting at a Kroger supermarket in Kentucky
The other was named Maura Binkley, a 21-year-old student at the University.
Their death "was devastating for the family of the former Soviet Union," said university president John Thrasher.
Van Vessem also worked as Chief Medical Director for Capital Health Plan, who described it in a statement as a "Visionary Guiding Force" and "One of the Most Respected Healthcare Professionals" , inspiring and accomplished from the state and the country ".
WATCH OUT: CNN host, Don Lemon, calls white men "the biggest terrorist threat" in America
The FSU said its research focused on restructuring health care for people with multiple chronic conditions.
According to the Miami Herald newspaper, Binkley had attended Dunwoody High School in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, and was senior at FSU with a double major English and German. She participated in a FSU exchange program during the summer and studied for four months at the University of Wuppertal, near Düsseldorf, Germany.
"It can be really scary at first to know that you're going to spend a semester away from home," Binkley said when he returned to Florida State University News. "But in the end, the experience is so rewarding and gives the impression that the world is so small."
READ MORE:
Robert Bowers, a Pittsburgh suspect, spoke of the "desire to kill Jews": the authorities
The murder rate in Tallahbadee was a problem in the governor's run ahead of Tuesday's election, and Gillum's opponent, former Republican Representative Ron DeSantis, accused him of showing weakness. in crime.
Gillum said on Twitter that no act of gun violence was acceptable. DeSantis said the shooting was heartbreaking.
City Commissioner Scott Maddox was among the officials who visited the studio after the shooting. "In my career in the public service, I had to deal with bad scenes. It's the worst. Please pray, "Maddox posted on Facebook.
WATCH: 1 dead, 1 arrested after N.B. Walmart's shooting prompts police to continue
Dozens of yoga practitioners gathered Saturday morning for an outdoor session in front of the State Capitol. Called "Yoga for A Cause," the event aimed to help those affected by Hurricane Michael.
The Tallahbadee Police Department has posted a photo of the Facebook gathering with the quote "It makes so much sense" and the hashtags #TallyStrong and #OurCityOurHome.
[ad_2]
Source link
