Workplace rage may have driven a former Virginia TV reporter to shot and kill a cameraman and another TV reporter and injure the interviewee on early Wednesday, Aug 26.
Vester L. Flanagan II, 41, also professionally known as Bryce Williams, fired several shots on WDBJ7 TV reporter Alison Parker, 24, and her cameraman Adam Ward, 27. In the raw video of the shooting that has already gone viral, the two were on Bridgewater Plaza in Franklin County, interviewing Vicki Gardner, the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce head, when the then-unknown assailant pointed a gun at Parker. A few seconds later, shots were fired, and the live feed was cut off. Moments after, the local Roanoke station reported the tragic demise of Parker and Ward. Gardner, on the other hand, underwent surgery.
After a car chase, Flanagan shot himself and died.
As news updates continue to unravel, information points out to alleged workplace anger or rage of the former employee.
According to Jeff Marks, the general manager of the station, Flanagan was hired as a multimedia journalist from 2012 to 2013 due to his considerable experience and reporting skills. However, despite that short period, he received several warnings from the management, as indicated by the internal memos.
Marks has described him as "unhappy" and that colleagues had been complaining about his being difficult to work with. He would easily take offense and had displayed anger while at work. He was advised to seek professional help or counseling especially with controlling his anger.
But his behavior worsened that co-workers continued to feel uncomfortable or threatened. He was eventually fired from the station, which he didn't take lightly. Some employees had to lock themselves in the office, and security guards had to escort him out of the building.
Flanagan was then believed to have taken his grievances to social media. In a Facebook post, he uploaded a raw video of the shooting in another perspective. In a series of tweets, he accused Parker of saying racist comments. He claimed he filed an EEOC report against the reporter, but the station continued to hire her instead. Meanwhile, Ward, he said, complained to HR about Flanagan even if the Ward worked with the former reporter just once.
In a document obtained by Washington Post, Flanagan believed that he was "mistreated" by the station because of his race and sexual orientation. However, he also claimed certain energy supplements made him more aggravated and that the station is causing him to snap. Meanwhile, in a 23-page document he faxed to ABC News, Flanagan likened himself to a human powder keg that's waiting to explode.
