Florida Yoga Studio Shooter Once Taught At Fort Meade School

FORT MEADE, MD — The man authorities say gunned down two women at a Florida yoga studio before killing himself Nov. 2 once taught at an Anne Arundel County high school. Scott Paul Beierle, 40, was the shooter at Hot Yoga in Tallahassee who opened fire, killing two people and wounding five others before turning the gun on himself.

Police said they were called just after 5:30 p.m. Friday to the studio, where they found several people suffering from gunshot wounds. Police officers and emergency responders gave medical attention to the victims, who were taken to a nearby hospital with injuries. Beierle was found dead at the scene and it appeared he had shot himself.

The slain victims were identified as Dr. Nancy Van Vessem, 61, and Maura Binkley, 21.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools spokesman Bob Mosier confirmed to FOX DC that Beierle taught English and Social Studies at Meade High School for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 school years. Beierle resigned after the 2006-07 school year, FOX reports.

Beierle’s LinkedIn page showed that from 2008 to 2010, Beierle says he served as a deputy director in supply and logistics for the U.S. Army, according to Heavy.com. His duties included procuring new technology in night vision goggles and fire support equipment. Posts on Beierle’s Facebook page from 2012 show him at the U.S. Military base in Grafenwoehr, Germany.

He had served in the military and then attended Florida State University, reports say. Bierle was arrested twice in the last five years for grabbing women — once at an apartment complex pool and once in an FSU dining hall — even though the charges were ultimately dropped. The Associated Press reports that after following an FSU volleyball coach near the campus gym, Beierle was banned from campus, but seen on the grounds at a restaurant soon after.

Beierle appeared to post a series of videos on YouTube in 2014 where he called women vile names if they dated black men, said many black women were "disgusting" and described himself as a misogynist. Authorities have not confirmed media reports that Beierle was the man who posted the videos.

Capital Health Plan told the Tallahassee Democrat that Van Vessem was an internist who served as its chief medical director. John Thrasher, president of Florida State University, said Van Vessem was a faculty member and Binkley was a student, the newspaper reported.

In all, there were six gunshot victims and one person who had been pistol-whipped, police said. Two victims remained hospitalized in stable condition and three were released.

Tallahassee Police Chief Michael DeLeo told reporters Friday night that the shooter acted alone and authorities were still looking at possible motives.

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