Latest news with #Maura'sVoiceSymposium
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Yahoo
Yoga shooting victim's father was at FSU for an anti-hate summit. Now it's a crime scene
When Jeff Binkley heard several sirens outside his hotel room and saw a string of blue lights, patrol cars and ambulances speeding down West Tennessee Street, he knew something had happened at Florida State University. "I knew it was likely a mass shooting,' Binkley – the father of the 2018 Tallahassee hot yoga studio shooting victim Maura Binkley – told the Tallahassee Democrat. The Atlanta, Georgia native was at the Aloft Tallahassee Downtown hotel when the shooting occurred as he prepared for a "United Against Hate" Maura's Voice Symposium event scheduled for 5 p.m. April 17 to promote student safety on campus. 'Nothing else could have been concluded from what I saw heading that way after my experiences,' Binkley said. 'I knew it at that point.' His assumption was correct as the incident turned out to be the April 17 active shooting on FSU's campus. A shooter took the lives of two victims, who were not FSU students, while injuring six others. That led to the symposium being canceled. More: FSU shooting: Two dead; six injured after police say deputy's son opened fire on campus The shooter, 20-year-old FSU student Phoenix Ikner – the son of a Leon County Sheriff's Office deputy – is currently in the hospital after he was taken down by law enforcement. During the shooting, he used a handgun that was previously used and purchased by his mother, reports said. The symposium would have been held in FSU's HCB Classroom Building, which was closed because it is a crime scene. The other closed buildings are the Student Union, Bellamy, Rovetta, Moore Auditorium, Shaw Pepper, Hecht House and Carraway. 'It's almost unthinkable in an emotional sense, but it's also so horrible that in a rational sense, we all know this can happen any place, at any time,' Binkley said. 'It's a cruel irony and a cruel coincidence that I was here, given the nature of the symposium and its location. It's almost impossible to process right now.' He added: 'It's so painful for the victims and their families, especially if you know what it's like.' The Maura's Voice Symposium is an annual event on countering hate in the communities while building a safer campus. It was launched a couple years ago to shed light on 21-year-old Maura, a senior at FSU who was one of two victims killed Nov. 2, 2018, in the Tallahassee Hot Yoga studio shooting. Maura 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 yoga studio. "This is a tragic day for Florida State University," FSU President Richard McCullough said during an April 17 press conference at FSU's Turnbull Conference Center after the shooting. "We're absolutely heartbroken by the violence." The last time FSU had a shooting was in November 2014, when 31-year-old Myron May entered the university's Strozier Library just after midnight and opened fire, injuring three before he was quickly shot and killed in a hail of bullets by Tallahassee and FSU police. May, an FSU graduate and an attorney who was mentally ill and suffered from paranoia, used a .380 semi-automatic handgun during the on-campus shooting and shot at seven people. The three injured individuals in that shooting were one employee and two students including Farhan Ronny Ahmed, a student at the time who was paralyzed from the hip down after being shot. Although that shooting took place over a decade ago, the tragedy is still vividly remembered by those who lived through the incident, in which hundreds of students were barricaded inside the library. FSU, Florida A&M University and Tallahassee State College all have canceled classes for Friday, April 18. The symposium will be rescheduled to a future date and time. Despite the shooting leading to the symposium being canceled, Binkley believes it's better that he's here rather than somewhere else. He says he now can bring whatever comfort he can to individuals affected by the latest shooting. 'I think it's better than being back home in Atlanta, especially because of what we were here to do,' Binkley said. 'One symposium and one act doesn't address this issue, but I came here for a reason, and this horrible act of violence just underscores why I should be here right now. It underscores the need for continued focus.' 'This is such a great, caring, loving community, and for that to happen here at the university that's been so helpful, and supportive to our family,' he added, 'I'm without adequate words.' A vigil will be held at 5 p.m. April 18 at FSU's Langford Green to honor the victims, according to a university spokesperson. Tarah Jean is a reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at tjean@ Follow her on X: @tarahjean_. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Father of Hot Yoga shooting victim speaks on FSU shooting
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
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 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
