Maura Binkley, a 21-year-old Florida State University Student, has been identified as one of the victims of the shooting at Hot Yoga Tallahassee on Friday, November 2.
Binkley was shot and killed by 40-year-old Scott Beierle, who killed two and injured five in a shooting at Hot Yoga Tallahassee before turning the gun on himself and taking his own life.
At Florida State, Binkley was a fourth-generation legacy student who was studying German and editing, writing and media.
She was also a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority and served a the vice president of chapter development, a Panhellenic representative, the standards chair and a rush counselor.
Binkley was killed Friday evening when a gunman opened fire at Hot Yoga Tallahassee on Thomasville Road. It was a place she would go to maintain a balanced workout, something that was important to her.
Dr. Nancy Van Vessem, who was one of 10 others in the 5:30 p.m. class, also was killed. Five others were injured. The gunman killed himself after the shooting.
Binkley said Tallahassee police told him the incident was a random act. On Saturday, he and his wife, Margaret, drove to Tallahassee from the family’s hometown of Atlanta to meet in person with investigators.
Binkley was set to graduate from Florida State University in May 2019.
Tributes to Binkley began pouring out on social media following her passing.
Binkley’s friend Santina Deming wrote on Facebook:
“The victims names have been released from the shooting in Tallahassee on Friday evening. One of the victims, Maura Binkley, was in one of my classes at FSU this semester. I had just talked to her on Thursday. She was very sweet and kind to everyone in class. She was an integral part of the class and lead the class discussion most days.”
A vigil for Binkley is scheduled to take place on the Florida State University campus on the evening of Monday, November 5.