TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Scott Paul Beierle, the man who opened fire at a Tallahassee, Florida, yoga studio and killed two people Friday, was a military veteran and a former teacher who held two master's degrees. But he also appeared to have posted sexist and racist videos online and was previously accused of groping women without their consent, according to The Associated Press.
According to a news release from the Tallahassee Police Department, Beierle, 40, was identified as the shooter at the Hot Yoga studio and was found dead at the scene of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Maura Binkley, 21, and Nancy Van Vessem, 61, were killed, according to the news release. At least four other people were injured and another person was pistol-whipped, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Beierle described himself as a "job seeker" since June 2013. His profile notes that he graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science and government in 2003. From 2005 to 2007, Beierle was an English teacher in Maryland in the Anne Arundel County Public Schools system, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Beierle joined the U.S. Army in 2008 and served a two-year hitch, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Beierle's Facebook profile, which has not been updated since 2012, displayed several photos of his time in military service.
From 2011 to 2013,Beierle attended Florida State University in Tallahassee. According to his LinkedIn profile, he received a master's degree in public administration and also was awarded a master's of science in planning, and urban and regional planning.
Beierle was arrested in Tallahassee in 2012 and 2016 but charges were dropped in both cases, according to court records obtained by WCTV. In 2012 he was accused of grabbing a woman in a dining hall of the Florida State campus. The 2016 arrest occurred at a Tallahassee apartment complex, where Beierle was accused of grabbing a woman's buttocks while she was lying at a swimming pool.
In YouTube videos believed to be posted by Beierle, he said promiscuous women should be crucified and compared himself to Elliot Rodger, a self-described "incel" – or "involuntary celibate" – who killed six people near the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2014, the AP reported. Beierle also "said many black women were 'disgusting'" and berated women who date black men, according to the AP. Police have not confirmed that the videos were posted by Beierle.
– The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cox Media Group
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