News Anchor & Her Camera Man Shot, Killed.

[Mr. Vixen]

There are truly no words. What a horrific place this world has become. 

 

(Warning: The video is horrifying and very disturbing to watch.) 

 

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/aug/26/alison-parker-adam-ward-of-wdbj-tv-shot-and-killed/

[MissLlanviewPA]

I can't bring myself to look at the video. I lived near Roanoke at one point. Southwest Virginia is just a beautiful part of the country. This is so sad.

[ReddFoxx]

Another senseless tragedy. These shootings are becoming too much to handle emotionally. I'm tired of seeing people shot down.

[ChitHappens]

Just awful.  I will not watch that video!

[Khan]

I have no words.  I am just praying that God be with everyone involved in this truly, truly senseless tragedy.  

[ReddFoxx]

The authorities are saying that the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Before that, he posted a video of the shooting that he filmed with a GO PRO camera.

[Gray Bunny]

I knew this would happen one day. Someone (a news reporter) being shot live on air. It was only a matter of time... SMH.

[reallyhateskateonlost]

I do not need to see that video. How awful for the familes and friends of the victims.

[marceline]

I think people should watch the video. This country is drowning in gun violence. It's a common, everyday occurrence. Maybe seeing the reality of it will shake some folks out of their complacency and denial.

[DRW50]

It's one of those things they used to have on TV dramas as a shock because it could happen in real life but rarely did. They actually are postponing a TV episode because of this.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/style-blog/wp/2015/08/26/mr-robot-finale-postponed-due-to-graphic-scene-similar-in-nature-to-virginia-shooting/?tid=sm_tw

 

It's so hard to believe it's real. 

 

One of the station's anchormen put out a statement about how he and the woman who died had been in love and even moved in together. And the guy who died - his fiance watched it happen. 

 

These anchors are so stunned. I can't imagine having to do this.

 

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/08/26/slain-tv-crew-both-engaged.html

 

If I see someone say they should have been packing guns I'm going to spit feathers.

[Vee]

I haven't heard about something like this since Christine Chubbuck's or Budd Dwyer's on-air suicides, which I cannot stomach looking at the footage of (the video of the Chubbuck incident has allegedly been destroyed). Or the Jonestown airstrip assault.

 

I try to avoid this kind of on-air snuff - even the old Twilight Zone movie case, where nothing is really visible in the raw film, is something I can't look at because I know that case and Jonestown, and exactly what happened, very well.

 

I might look at the original news broadcast of this. Flanagan's home movie, though? No chance.

[Taoboi]

SMH.

Thankfully no video that I saw.

Very disturbing nonetheless.

[Khan]

Does anyone have any information as to why Flanagan targeted these two individuals from the station?  Did Parker and Ward have something to do with his dismissal?

[DRW50]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Alison_Parker_and_Adam_Ward

 

Apparently he blamed her in part for his firing and blamed black men and white women for his poor treatment at work. 

 

I read some other article that said Parker had little involvement with him at all at work. 

 

I saw a photo of her right as he was about to shoot her - I just typed in the names looking for an article and there it was. Ugh. I wish Google was better about things like this. 

[Vee]

Flanagan has a long history of grievances and complaints against a variety of employers and news stations he's been with, alleging discrimination or bias on the basis of his race or orientation. He's just as often been cited for anger issues, various mistakes, etc., all of which got him dismissed at least several times. I believe that when he was dismissed by WDBJ, some of the staff cowered in a locked office while the police were called, and he threw a wooden cross (yes, a cross!) at his supervisor and told him, 'you'll need this.'

 

He also had another insane rant leaked online today - some long diatribe he wrote to the staff of a local restaurant about the importance of courtesy to customers.

 

The issues Flanagan claimed grievance over are very real in a larger context, but I see little to no evidence that his personal complaints are in any way legitimate. The one leaked internal report I have seen has him complaining about veiled racism when a staff intern talked about a news team "working in the field," and something about a watermelon being in the break room/cafeteria. He also was tweeting old baby pictures, and pix from his younger (and svelter) days as either a model or sex worker. Honestly, you usually see paranoid narcissists like him among white guy shooters.

 

In his brief series of tweets shortly before committing suicide this morning, Flanagan claimed that Ward "reported me to HR" after one day working together, and that Alison Parker had made racist remarks.