FSU active shooting cancels campus event that honored Tallahassee hot yoga shooting victim
An event at Florida State University designed to promote safety on campus and among FSU students was canceled − due to an active shooting at FSU on the day of.
The active shooting occurred on the day of the "United Against Hate" event that sheds a light on 21-year-old Maura Binkley, a senior at FSU who was one of two victims killed Nov. 2, 2018, in the Tallahassee hot yoga studio shooting. Binkley and 61-year-old Dr. Nancy Van Vessem died after a gunman with a long history of abusive behavior and hatred against women opened fire in the hot yoga studio.
Hours before "United Against Hate: Building a Safer Campus and Community Together" would start, there was an active shooter on campus at FSU on Thursday, April 17. At about noon, the Leon County Sheriff's Office responded to reports of an active shooter in FSU's student union. FSU students not already on campus were instructed to stay away, and all Leon County schools were under lockdown by 12:15 p.m.
Students were instructed through the university's emergency alert system to shelter in place, lock and stay away from all doors and windows, and 'be prepared to take additional protective measures.'
As of 1:30 p.m. Thursday, students were still sheltering in place and six people had been reported injured and were being treated for injuries, some of them critical. Rumors of multiple shooters on campus were circulating among students, but had not been confirmed by local authorities. One man was taken into custody, according to the Tallahassee Police Department.
'All classes and university events including athletics events scheduled for Thursday, April 17, 2025, have been cancelled,' according to FSU's alert website. 'Individuals not already on the main campus at this time should avoid coming to the Tallahassee main campus.'
The "United Against Hate" event was a "Maura's Voice Symposium" organized by students, faculty and university leaders.
During the 2018 tragedy, the gunman walked into Hot Yoga Tallahassee before shooting and killing Maura Binkley, who was a fourth-generation FSU student at the time and Van Vessem, who was a chief medical officer at Capital Health Plan and an early faculty member at FSU's College of Medicine.
The gunman also injured five others before killing himself.
The "United Against Hate: Building a Safer Campus and Community Together" event was originally scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, April 17, in the Moore auditorium at FSU. The description said FSU students, faculty, university leadership and Tallahassee community leaders would discuss "effective strategies to counter hate on campus and in our communities" via engaging in meaningful conversations, shared experiences and brainstorming "innovative solutions to foster a safer and more respectful environment for everyone. Let's work together to create positive change and build a stronger, united community … with no place for hate."
In the years since the Tallahassee hot yoga studio shooting, Maura Binkley's parents, Jeff and Margaret Binkley, established the Maura's Voice Research Fund in her memory. FSU's Maura's Voice Research Fund includes research to prevent misogynistic violent extremism. In November 2023, Jeff Binkley spoke at a symposium and memorial that marked the five-year anniversary of the tragic shooting. FSU President Emeritus John Thrasher, who led the university when the shooting took place, was one of the speakers at the Maura's Voice symposium.
'We wanted to honor the victims and have people see what's been going on at FSU to address hate and violent extremism in our society,' Jeff Binkley said at the 2023 event.
For more information about Maura's Voice Research Fund and the "United Against Hate: Building a Safer Campus and Community Together" at FSU, visit maurasvoice.org.
Contributing: Tarah Jean, Tallahassee Democrat, and Lianna Norman and Samantha Neely, USA TODAY Network-Florida
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU active shooting cancels event about hot yoga studio shooting victim
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