We often discuss the “perils of the press” in humorous stories of the unexpected for journalists. However, we are often reminded of the dangers faced by reporters in their daily jobs. Today offered one such tragic example from Moneta, Virginia. Vester Lee Flanagan, who used the name on-air of Bryce Williams, shot and killed WDBJ reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27. He then posted the filmed event and tweeted about it. It is a bizarre and chilling example of how social media has become intertwined with such crimes in our society. Flanagan later shot himself in a confrontation with police.
Flanagan (shown left) said that Parker made “racist comments” and that he had filed a complaint was filed against her through the equal employment opportunity commission. Ward had worked with Flanagan and he said that Ward had complained about having to work with him. He then shared his attack on Twitter. Parker, 24, and Ward, 27, died at the scene while the woman being interviewed was rushed to Roanoke Memorial Hospital for emergency surgery.
Ward was engaged to Melissa Ott, a news producer who was working on the show and watched from the control room as the shooting happened. This was her last day on the job because she was about to start a new job in Charlotte, North Carolina and Ward planned to move with her. The office-mates had just thrown a party that morning for her.
These cases often raise civil liability for the employer. While the criminal case is apparently closed given the statements and film of the deceased, families can sometimes sue over the failure of an employer to warn them or take some action. In this case, it appears that Flanagan is no longer working for the station so that insulates the studio to some extent. There can be questions however is anyone had reason to know of a violent predisposition or targeting of these victims. There is no indication of such forewarning or prior indications of violence at this time. This type of delayed and unhinged response is very difficult for anyone to foresee and an employer cannot monitor former employees for years.
I can only imagine the grief of these families and survivors when faced with such a senseless act. The chilling combination of social media deepens the unfathomable aspects of this double murder.
The video is graphic and available here
Liberals are having panic attacks along w/ agita. It turns out the coward black shooter was gay. OMG!
Nick
Only black gay cops from the Village People should be allowed to carry guns.
Nick
We should write a book called ‘Heather’s Mom has Two Guns’ so gay kids don’t have to feel shame if someone in their family is a gun owner. It might make a good graphic novel.
THE SKEPTICAL LIBERTARIAN:
By the Numbers: Is the UK really 5 times more violent than the US?
http://blog.skepticallibertarian.com/2013/01/12/fact-checking-ben-swann-is-the-uk-really-5-times-more-violent-than-the-us/
“When I hear about reasons such as governments turning on citizenry, that identifies for me the very persons that should never get near a gun.” How unfortunate for you, then, Isaac, that George Washington and friends were paranoid gun nuts with military grade weapons. How’s your tea? *You* never saw tanks rolling on the streets of your hometown in order to break a strike. My dad did, in Indiana. Guess the newspapers were lying and Photoshopped everything in the 50s.
64% of US gun deaths are suicides. If one is going to off themselves it is a pretty efficient method. Would 2nd Amendment haters feel better if those 64% hung themselves? Jump off buildings?
Olly, I LOVE being underestimated. It takes true self esteem to be able to handle being underestimated, but it can be a HUGE advantage. I will do some Columbo when it fits the situation. I do it w/ attorneys more than anyone. Using their ego against them. The more the Canadian talks we clearly see the less he knows.
pin, I think the subconscious anger and fear of what they would do w/ a gun for 2nd Amendment haters is accurate for some. Akin to the people w/ fear of heights, really fearful they’ll jump. There are all sorts of variables. I think one of the more prominent, little discussed reasons is geography. People who live in the northeast are the most anti gun. I grew up in Ct. where even many Republicans are anti 2nd Amendment. They fear even touching a gun. We had some good friends visiting from NJ last football season. They are Jet fans and I took them to see a Jets v Packer game. They were astonished I had a gun in the house. I offered to show them and have them hold my Glock .45. My male friend was somewhat intrigued but his daughter and wife were too freaked so I just changed the subject. pin, these are fairly conservative people, they vote for Christie. Hell, Christie is a good example of my geographic point, he is no friend on the 2nd Amendment. Percentage wise, there were a lot more random shootings in the wild west than there is now. And, as long as the gunfight was deemed fair, there were no charges. The sheriff would ask witnesses, “was it fair?” If they said yes, that was it.
Nick – Raylan Givens is famous for his “justified” killings.
“The argument of having guns to protect oneself from one’s own government is the mentality that should never be partnered with a gun. That was the British over 200 years ago.”
Oh Isaac,
Are you that ignorant to believe our framer’s invented the natural right of self-defense or that the people need to be sufficiently capable of removing a tyrannical and abusive government? They has world history to draw from and they understood that if the people were ever to be secure in their rights they must be prepared to defend themselves against the very government they created to secure them. You on the other hand have this tragically foolish notion that human nature has miraculously changed in the last 100 years and we no longer need to defend ourselves from anything, especially our own government. Oh, and you have that whole ALL rights come from government belief, so that might explain your lack of reason.
“If today’s government wished to step on any gun nut or group of gun nuts it would be no contest and most likely for a just reason.”
Wow, you really should get your head out of wherever you have it parked, again review history. I’m fairly certain the arrogance of the entire 18th century British empire expressed those same sentiments right before the Americans showed them the door. How about why Vietnam didn’t turn out to be a cake walk or why the Soviets got their ass handed to them in Afghanistan.
Olly – could I just mention Waco, TX
selfhelplegal
The argument of having guns to protect oneself from one’s own government is the mentality that should never be partnered with a gun. That was the British over 200 years ago. If today’s government wished to step on any gun nut or group of gun nuts it would be no contest and most likely for a just reason. Some examples: the marauding gangs in Wyoming or Montana that were ‘protecting’ that nut a year or so ago, the survivalists in Idaho and elsewhere, the clowns out protecting the populace in Ferguson. Regardless of the reasoning behind this nonsense, they were tolerated and if so desired would have been wiped out in a snap by the so described evil government.
When I hear about reasons such as governments turning on citizenry, that identifies for me the very persons that should never get near a gun.
“That was the British over 200 years ago. ” Ah, so we should ignore history. And the Holocaust? Is that ancient history as well, the German Jews’ own government deciding to exterminate them? In this country, the BLM charging onto private ranches to arrest people over civil matters, only to be rightfully stopped because the rancher got a heads up and called some friends, who then called some friends, and all those friends had guns and managed to beat back the Federal government? Why is the government shipping military surplus to increasingly small town police forces? Why is the USDA and the Social Security Administration engaged in massive purchases of ammunition- rabid chickens? Why do you assume benevolence on the part of authorities? And if you think it’s too late to do anything about government, you’ve just explained the failure of further gun control efforts AND why we need the 2nd Amendment. And if *safety* is your issue, there are a hell of a lot more people killed by hammers and even cars, 40K+ a year killed by motor vehicle, so you’d be far more effective saving lives by trying to eliminate private ownership of motor vehicles. So, is *safety* a concern of yours? Or do you worship the power of the state?
The best reason for having guns is one which was foremost at the time of the Framing of the Second Amendment. That is to shoot Redcoats.
The Framers did make a mistake. They meant to say the “right to arm Bears…” not “bear arms”.
They have gun control in Belgium and France and look what that muslim got ahold of over there. The people were lucky that our “well trained militia” was on-board that train. Things would have been better had they been armed. If a punk ran down a bus or train in Israel there would be a third of the passengers with an Uzi nearby to shoot the punk. Same in Missouri. Not an Uzi in Missouri but some weapon.
I am sick of the Brit apCray on our public television too. That BBC show on PBS sucks.
It’s interesting that the solution some are proposing to prevent crazy people from legally purchasing firearms is to restrict the 2nd amendment right for everyone. This sounds eerily familiar to the solution put forth regarding illegal immigration to grant amnesty and/or open the borders; once again penalizing the law-abiding citizens.
What is it with you progressives that just because you need to give away all your rights and power to government that you have to drag everyone else into bondage with you? Many of us are not mesmerized by your administrative state and we actually will not EVER accept the state tutelage you seem to need.
Just moments ago on “The Kelly File” the father of Alison Parker swore he wouldn’t rest until he got legislators to act on closing the loopholes in gun purchases.
“I love the 2nd Amendment, not guns. I only own one and NO ONE will ever take it from me.”
Here in lies the crux of the problem. If one loves America and America decided that gun ownership should be restricted to a significant degree, would the person who wrote, and supposedly believes in, the words in quotations, choose the America that decides to restrict gun ownership for him or would he choose to honor the 2nd Amendment even though it would be an amended or even repealed 2nd Amendment, and stand against America? Would the person honor the democracy or the quasi-religious 2nd Amendment.
One could answer that they are one in the same, but then so was slavery and America at one time. Times change but only because people change them for the better. An America without the present proliferation of guns would be a change for the better, regardless of who has to give up their gun.
“An America without the present proliferation of guns would be a change for the better, regardless of who has to give up their gun.” But only momentarily. Either our own government would continue to turn on us (which is why the 2nd Amendment exists, so we can protect ourselves from our own government) or, if the government also surrendered weapons (and why should the government have weapons superior to the people?), then a foreign invader. When you look at the American flag, you are reminded that it’s not paranoia, because that’s exactly the situation that George Washington and his fellow paranoid gun nuts found themselves in when their own government turned against them. Good thing for us that private citizens had military grade weapons.
Vegas has the odds @ 50-1 against, that Obama will give the eulogy @ these funerals. Why are all the people who were insane[well some are always insane] about the racist Dylan Roof make NO MENTION of this racist killer? Did these people’s lives matter?
Only cops and military should own guns?
Professor, I have been shot @ twice. Correct. I’m impressed you remember. I do not support putting guns in the hands of lunatics. The first person who shot @ me was unknown. I’m quite certain it was a gang banger. The second person who shot @ me is frighteningly similar to this now dead coward. The man was fired from his job for insurance[work comp] fraud. He was an angry, addict[pain meds] alcoholic. He was fired from one of the most progressive companies in this country, Trek Bicycle. It was after this illiterate loser almost killed me that I decided to arm myself. I had resisted up until that point[15 years into my PI career] but was determined I would not be a victim again.
The writers of our Constitution were no idiots. They were the architects of the worlds longest lasting and greatest democracies. We are indeed flawed. But, I would not want to live in any other country and this is where people from all of the world want to live.
I was a pitcher. When someone hit one of my teammates I hit back. You hit our founding fathers and so I hit back. I actually like you. I was one of the first people to reach out to you when you came here initially. The writers of our Constitution were not idiots, they were wise and great men. I don’t expect you to understand or like this country. But, you do not need to denigrate the people that threw off the shackles from an evil kingdom.
Nice diversion, waxing on about exits. Even if you knew where the exit was, chances are your sorry butt wouldn’t make it there with an automatic weapon being stayed around the room.
We are miscommunicating I am in agreement with you regarding Karen’s ridiculous assertions about gun violence in the UK..
Except….Karen made no such assertion.
Try again.
Sincere Apologies Henry H. These cases make me so angry I shoot from my mouth…. and in this case I clearly shot myself in the foot….
Ninian, Henry is right. It appears they don’t really care how many gun deaths happen every day, as long as they can keep their preciousssss guns.
Inga – I am concerned about the medical malpractice that kills people every day, however I don’t want to get rid of hospitals.
peckitt
We are miscommunicating I am in agreement with you regarding Karen’s ridiculous assertions about gun violence in the UK..