Yahoo: Gunman Kills Virginia TV News Reporter, Cameraman on Air

[Predicto]

Not that I even come close to buying his EEO complaints, but do you happen to think the chamber of commerce lady said anything racist to him? Did she have it coming, too?

 

 

Whoh son.  He didn't say that anyone had it coming.   And he didn't mention race either.   

[DM72]

So punch the guy in the face.

DON'T shoot up unrelated employees.

Didn't he specifically target those two?

[grego]

Again, what this man did was TOTALLY wrong, but speaking from experience, I do understand why workplace violence sometimes happen.

 

 

i get that. shoot, last year, i honestly thought i was going to get into it with my boss. thankfully, we talked about it and things have been good since. no question, there are people out there that don't know how to talk to people like they are people.

 

this dude definitely had a screw loose. specifically, he may have had paranoid personality disorder or something like that. we'll find out more soon, i'm sure, but it seems like theres a litigious, difficult work history. could his concerns be ligit? absolutely. but, someone who will strap on a go pro and shoot 3 people during a live tv segment, then tweet it probably has some things going on. 

 

of course, i believe most of these 'racial' shootings (like dylan roof) are people who are mentally unstable- first and foremost-, disgruntled, and are looking for a way to manifest that anger. choosing a race, for example, to blame your problems on is the expression of that instability. its something concrete that you can point to and blame and it makes you feel better. 

[Springfield]

Didn't he specifically target those two?

I didn't think they knew him, or had little prior interaction. It was the camera man's last day. He was a kid. The reporter was supposedly an incredibly nice girl.

I was under the impression that they were just basically innocent bystanders aside from the news org that they represented.

[TradeTheBeal!]

I didn't think they knew him, or had little prior interaction. It was the camera man's last day. He was a kid. The reporter was supposedly an incredibly nice girl.

I was under the impression that they were just basically innocent bystanders aside from the news org that they represented.

He definitely had history with the camera guy.

[Kosher Ham]

It's a lot to explain.

 

Did you shoot your boss ?

 

Seriously. That's an absurd reason to explain 'understanding'.

Not happy with the job...find another job, racism rampant...figure out a different way to deal with the problem.

 

3 people shot. Perhaps, 2 of them were indeed racist, that in no way explains or makes it 'understandable' to kill them...then the lady that was shot in the back ?

 

If you are going to retaliate, at least have the stones to be forward about the situation.

[DM72]

Did you shoot your boss ?

 

Seriously. That's an absurd reason to explain "understanding".

Not happy with the job...find another job, racism rampant...figure out a different way to deal with the problem.

 

3 people shot. Perhaps, 2 of them were indeed racist, that in no way explains or makes it 'understandable' to kill them...then the lady that was shot in the back ?

 

If you are going to retaliate, at least have the stones to be forward about the situation.

No, I didn't. But don't give me the old cop out, " just find another job." That's not a realistic option for most people. Maybe if you've only been there for a short time, but if you got 20 plus years in, who really wants to start all over?

[PCS]

He definitely had history with the camera guy.

He had a "history" with both of them.

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/26/us/virginia-shooting-vester-flanagan-bryce-williams/index.html

 

 

 

Who was Bryce Williams/Vester Flanagan?

(CNN)The man who police say killed two journalists during a live broadcast Wednesday was no stranger to WDBJ-TV. He was Bryce Williams, a reporter for the Roanoke, Virginia, station until he was fired two years ago.

More accurately, Williams was the on-air name for Vester Lee Flanagan II.

Williams died in the hospital Wednesday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, hours after he fatally shot WDBJ reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward during the station's morning newscast. A woman the journalists were interviewing, Vicki Gardner, also was shot and is in stable condition after undergoing surgery.

The ex-reporter moved through several television markets in his career, usually leaving after a few years, not always on good terms. Williams, who was black, sued one former employer in Florida for racial discrimination, a case that was later settled out of court.

The accusation of racism surfaced again Wednesday when Williams' Twitter account tweeted that Parker had made racist comments. Another tweet suggested that Ward complained to human resources officials after the pair worked together.

 

*Click Link For More* 

[Dan T.]

Thank you to the posters recommending people not watch the video.  

 

Today as this was unfolding I was chasing information about it on the web and posting the updates here, close to real time.  A Google search of his real name didn't turn up anything.  But then a tweet revealed his on-air name.  I jumped to his Twitter feed.  Right at the top was a video loop that, at first glance, seemed to be a clip of the footage that was broadcast live that morning.  Only it wasn't. It was his POV video of the shooting. It didn't seem real.  It almost seemed staged.  Only it wasn't. I don't recall ever being so shocked at stumbling on such a stark, sickening piece of information.  My blood ran cold.

 

I will sometimes watch shocking videos, though I almost always won't.  (For example, I've never watched any of the ISIS terror porn those ****s post.) On those occasions when I do watch something that promises to be shocking, I do so willingly after giving it consideration it and steeling myself for what I am about to see.

 

I didn't have that opportunity here.  I stumbled upon it, and saw it without warning.  And frankly, it's ****ed with my head today.

[visionary]

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/26/us/virginia-shooting-vester-flanagan-bryce-williams/index.html

Who was Bryce Williams/Vester Flanagan?

"He was a good on-air performer, a pretty good reporter. And then things started getting a little strange," San Diego 6 News Director Don Shafer said. Shafer hired and fired Williams at a Florida television station.

 

Shafer said he fired Williams for "odd behavior."

 

After his termination, Williams filed a lawsuit in 2000 against WTWC-TV, a Tallahassee station.

 

Williams alleged a producer in an upper-level management position called him a "monkey." The lawsuit also made other allegations of racism, including that a white worker said "blacks are lazy and do not take advantage of free money," referring to college scholarships, and that another employee called a murder suspect "'just another thug.''

 

The case was settled out of court, according to court documents.

 

Larell Reynolds, a former WDBJ employee, told CNN Williams was "not the best co-worker."

 

"He couldn't take criticism and he took it personally," Reynolds said, adding that when Williams was let go he "threw a huge tantrum."

 

"We were in a lockdown the day that he was fired, and a few days later we had police detail that kind of watched over the station," he said.

 

Orlando Salinas, another former WDBJ employee, told Adweek's TVSpy that Williams often complained about racism in the workplace.

 

According to Salinas, on Williams' last day at the station, he created a "ruckus" and other employees moved to another room while police escorted him out of the building.

 

Williams filed a lawsuit against WDBJ, which was subsequently dismissed.

 

CNN is talking to a guy who was involved in a road rage incident with him in July.

Apparently Bryce followed him to the store afterwards.

[Kosher Ham]

No, I didn't. But don't give me the old cop out, " just find another job." That's not a realistic option for most people. Maybe if you've only been there for a short time, but if you got 20 plus years in, who really wants to start all over?

 

Someone who is unhappy with their job ?

It's not a cop out, it's a solution to fix the issues you may have.

The strong people go out and market themselves as a potential employee that has 20 years experience in the field...take that leap for happiness.

[DM72]

Someone who is unhappy with their job ?

It's not a cop out, it's a solution to fix the issues you may have.

The strong people go out and market themselves as a potential employee that has 20 years experience in the field...take that leap for happiness.

You have to know that person's situation. What if they don't live in the city and would have to drive a good distance to get to that job? What if they live in the northeast? That means you would to commute in bad weather during the winter months. Plus, in my line of work, other than my retirement, I would be starting from ground zero.

[grego]

Reading the latest from this guys manifesto, ya, he's absolutely got a paranoid thing going on.

Said the Charleston shooting lead him to kill his 2 cats in the woods and praised the VT and columbine shooters.

Nothing else you can say about that.

[Kosher Ham]

Unhappy, I would leave.

I have left several jobs over the years.

Commute...so...it's an hour to go 20 miles in DC.

[DM72]

Unhappy, I would leave.

I have left several jobs over the years.

Commute...so...it's an hour to go 20 miles in DC.

When you only have to drive 4 miles/round trip, that's very convenient. Plus, I'm not trying to lose health insurance, over 1200 hours of sick leave and 22 plus years of seniority. And me and a few others quitting would be EXACTLY what those cheap asses would like. I'm not going to get too much into it, but things have been somewhat better lately.

[TK]

The station manager said they had already done a couple of live shots from the scene, so he could have seen the original remote and then gone to the scene from his Roanoke home.

 

FYI that's about a good hour drive from here down to the Bridge whether you take 24 & cut back down the backroads towards Goodview, take 220S to Rocky Mt, or take 116 over the mountain. A lot of it is single lanes on all three routes.

WDBJ7 is 5-7 minutes from ROA. I can be to either one from my house in 7-10 minutes.

[steve09ru]

How can someone sit here and legitimately say they UNDERSTAND how a person could do this. If you can understand this then you need serious help. This dude played and blamed race after being let go by multiple organizations. He was unstable, he was racist and there is 0 reason for what occurred, plain and simple.

How can someone sit here and legitimately say they UNDERSTAND how a person could do this. If you can understand this then you need serious help. This dude played and blamed race after being let go by multiple organizations. He was unstable, he was racist and there is 0 reason for what occurred, plain and simple.

If the instance was once he may be able to be passed off but you're not a good employee or worth a damp if the complaints follow you job to job. Quit blaming others and look at what you're doing wrong. Obviously if multiple companies let you go then there's a slight chance that YOURE the problem and not the ones who employed you.

[SoulSkin]

I didn't have that opportunity here.  I stumbled upon it, and saw it without warning.  And frankly, it's ****ed with my head today.

 

I had pretty much the same experience, as far as stumbling upon it. I immediately disabled auto-play on twitter videos after. At least now I can make a conscious decision if I want to watch some video that pops up in the feed. I don't think I will ever willingly look at something like that again. It was ****ing with my head all day too. Honestly, I was a little surprised by that. I thought I was desensitized to everything.

[grego]

How can someone sit here and legitimately say they UNDERSTAND how a person could do this. If you can understand this then you need serious help. This dude played and blamed race after being let go by multiple organizations. He was unstable, he was racist and there is 0 reason for what occurred, plain and simple.

He was definitely not all there.

I think once people read his rants, it'll be clear.

Dude was a paranoid nut.

[steve09ru]

He was definitely not all there.

I think once people read his rants, it'll be clear.

Dude was a paranoid nut.

Oh I get he wasnt all there, that's why he did this. But for anyone to say they understand why?!? Are you ****ing kidding me??

[DM72]

How can someone sit here and legitimately say they UNDERSTAND how a person could do this. If you can understand this then you need serious help. This dude played and blamed race after being let go by multiple organizations. He was unstable, he was racist and there is 0 reason for what occurred, plain and simple.

This dude might have been an unstable asshole. But don't think for one second every situation is the same. Why do you think we go to these workplace violence prevention classes? To keep situations like today from happening. People don't like to admit to it, but there are some VERY bad bosses out there. Tell me how would you feel if one of those bad bosses decided to put you and your family out in the streets for no good reason?

[grego]

This dude might have been an unstable asshole. But don't think for one second every situation is the same. Why do you think we go to these workplace violence prevention classes? To keep situations like today from happening. People don't like to admit to it, but there are some VERY bad bosses out there. Tell me how would you feel if one of those bad bosses decided to put you and your family out in the streets for no good reason?

Dude was definitely unstable, to be kind.

This was not a "bad work environment" situation.

[Going Commando]

I had pretty much the same experience, as far as stumbling upon it. I immediately disabled auto-play on twitter videos after. At least now I can make a conscious decision if I want to watch some video that pops up in the feed. I don't think I will ever willingly look at something like that again. It was ****ing with my head all day too. Honestly, I was a little surprised by that. I thought I was desensitized to everything.

It's not surprising that it shocks the conscience to watch a PoV of a murder. It's truly horrible. You could see the look of sheer terror on their faces as they were murdered.

It SHOULD **** with all of our heads that this happened. And we should ****ing do something about it for once.

Seriously, this monster has stumbled onto something horrific and new. Wearing a GoPro while you commit a shooting and then tweeting the video. This will not be the last time this happens.

[steve09ru]

This dude might have been an unstable asshole. But don't think for one second every situation is the same. Why do you think we go to these workplace violence prevention classes? To keep situations like today from happening. People don't like to admit to it, but there are some VERY bad bosses out there. Tell me how would you feel if one of those bad bosses decided to put you and your family out in the streets for no good reason?

of course you don't agree, you said it. These 'bad bosses' must be something sending flyers around to all news stations because this isn't the first time. Are there bad bosses? Absolutely, that doesn't mean go shoot them or have the green light to. If it's happened more than once then the problem probably isn't your bosses. People no longer hold themselves accountable, they expect handouts for just showing up. This shot is getting bad and it's happening fairly quickly. Quit blaming others for your own failures and struggles, more than likely the issue is with the person looking for answers due to multiple failures. People don't fail you multiple times just because. Obviously you're not doing something right. Figure it out and fix it and quit looking at other people as being the cause of your lack of success.

[JamesMadisonSkins]

I ran into a similar situation earlier with the video. Someone said he was tweeting, saw a retweet and went to the timeline. Right at that moment he posted the videos. Fortunately I was able to stop it before any shots were fired. But watching him pace around pointing that gun at them was enough for me. Just that alone ****ed with my head enough today.