Law student gets $30K financial award after fighting off yoga studio shooter with vacuum and broom
Photo courtesy of Florida State University.
When Scott Beierle opened fire at a Tallahassee, Florida, hot yoga studio in early November, it was a Florida State University law student who confronted him.
Joshua Quick, a 2L, is set to receive at least $30,000 for school expenses, raised by John Thrasher, president of FSU, and its board of trustees, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. Quick told ABC’s Good Morning America that when Beierle opened fire at the studio, he grabbed a vacuum cleaner and hit Beierle with it. He also hit the gunman over the head with a broom.
“The gun stopped firing,” said Quick, 33. “I don’t know if it jammed or what. So I used that opportunity to hit him over the head with it.”
Beierle pistol whipped Quick with the gun, and Quick grabbed a broom to fight him off, which created a diversion that allowed people to escape, according to the newspaper.
Three people—Dr. Nancy Van Vessem, FSU student Maura Binkley and Beierle, who shot himself—died. Five, including Quick, were wounded, the paper reported Nov. 3. The financial award Quick is receiving for law school follows him receiving Tallahassee’s key to the city on Nov. 14, according to an earlier article.
Thrasher said he hopes to raise $35,000 to $45,000 for Quick’s tuition and expenses. Quick, speaking to the university’s board of directors on Nov. 16, said something one might expect from a yogi.
“I want to offer my gratitude to everybody,” he said. “Thank you all for the recognition I don’t feel I deserve.”
