A yoga studio in Florida killed one victim and four wounded; the killer is killing himself

Nov 3, 2018 / 00h08 GMT

By Phil Helsel and Associated Press

An armed man killed one person and wounded four others in a yoga studio in Tallahassee, Florida on Friday night before apparently being shot dead, officials said.

Tallahassee Police Chief Michael DeLeo said at a press conference that four people were in critical condition following the shooting. He added that the shooter had died as a result of a possible self-inflicted bullet wound.

DeLeo told reporters that the police had been called for a report on a shooting around 5:37 pm. and arriving officers found several victims with gunshot wounds. Five people were transported to hospitals and one victim died in a hospital, he said.

A spokesman for Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare said he had received a patient who died from a gunshot wound and four other patients with gunshot wounds, including one in critical condition. the other three were in serious condition. Another patient was grazed and in good condition.

"At the present time, everything indicates that it is the act of only one person," DeLeo said. "There is no immediate threat to our community, and we are all saddened and saddened by the events that have taken place."

City spokesman Jamie Van Pelt said the shootings appeared to be part of a domestic conflict, the Associated Press reported.

Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, a Democrat who is running for governor, tweeted He thanked the security forces for their reaction to the shooting and said he would separate from the election campaign to return to town Friday night. A campaign event was scheduled at West Palm Beach on Friday night.

"I am deeply grateful for the rapid response of law enforcement forces to the shooting that took place at the Tallahassee Yoga Center today, no act of gun violence is acceptable", writes Gillum. "I'm in close contact with law enforcement officials and Tallahassee tonight."

The Tallahassee Democrat reported that a man who was in a nearby bar said that people had entered the establishment to ask for help and that a man was in Inside the yoga studio, called Hot Yoga, and acting strangely before opening fire during a class.

The newspaper reported that one of the security-seeking people, who was bleeding in the head, had told his clients that he had tried to stop the gunman but that the gunman had him whipped before the shooter commits suicide.

Witness Elle Welling told AP that she was leaving an alcoholic beverage store in front of the mall and that she had seen at least three people being loaded into ambulances.

"You do not think about that in Tallahassee and you have to do it now," said Welling, 26, who lives in the neighborhood.

The police used to identify the shooter and DeLeo said that a motive was unknown. He asked anyone in the area from 5 pm until 6 pm and who may have seen something to contact the police. "You may need essential information," said DeLeo.

"It's still a very active scene, it's still very early," he said.