US: 3 DEAD IN FLORIDA YOGA CLASS SHOOTING

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA: A man walked into a yoga studio in Tallahassee, Florida, on Friday evening and shot six people — two fatally — before killing himself, police said.

Police were called to the studio, Hot Yoga Tallahassee, shortly after 5:30 pm. “Upon arriving on scene, officers found multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds,” Michael DeLeo, the chief of the Tallahassee Police Department, said at a news conference Friday night.

The Tallahassee Police Department said it believed the gunman, who was identified on Saturday as Scott Paul Beierle, 40, shot and killed himself at the scene. Police also identified the victims who were shot and killed as Nancy Van Vessem, 61, and Maura Binkley, 21. Three of the injured victims had been released from the hospital as of Saturday morning. Another two were in stable condition, police said.

Not all of those injured were shot; one was pistol-whipped. Police said Saturday morning that they had not yet determined the gunman’s motive.

“All indications are this is the act of a single person. There is no immediate threat to our community,” DeLeo said on Friday. “Obviously we are all very saddened and shocked by the events that occurred.”

He said there were “indications that several people inside fought back and tried to not only save themselves but other people, which is a testament their courage.” A yoga class had been scheduled to begin at the studio at 5:30 p.m., according to The Tallahassee Democrat. “In my public service career I have had to be on some bad scenes,” Scott Maddox, a city commissioner, said in a post on Facebook.