• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Two Virginia television journalists fatally shot in on-air attack[READ OP]

Status
Not open for further replies.
N

Ninja Scooter

Member
Nibel said:
But he prepared a manifesto for ABC News, went to the filming location with a camera and had access to the internet/social media where he spread the footage; besides, I think his tweets indicate that this stems from jealousy

This all looks planned to me
Click to expand...

I don't think premeditation and mental instability are mutually exclusive. The Aurora shooter also planned out his attack.
 
XOMTOR

XOMTOR

Member
ThatGuyAgain said:
Going for a long walk now.
Click to expand...

If you do, remember that despite this terrible incident, there is still plenty of good in the world. Smile, talk to people, make someone else smile. Don't think about the video, it ain't your fault; he wanted that video to be seen. No way of preventing that.
 
J

JHoNNy1OoO

Member
Double D said:
What's nuts is that he sat there with the gun pointed right at her and she didn't see it. Looks like he waits for the camera to pan back to her before he does it. This is fucked.
Click to expand...

This guy had to have followed their news van from the station. I see no other way of him finding them. He knew all the routines since he worked there. Knew that they did early morning stories LIVE and then just waited for his opportunity.

There is no way Alison would've noticed him because she was focused on the LIVE interview.
 
F

Fenderputty

Banned
dave is ok said:
The GoPro footage isn't much more graphic than the news camera, it's just way more fucked up because it's from the shooter POV.
Click to expand...

Yeah. It's more the reality of the perspective of the shooter. The clueless faces of the reporters. The fact that you know they die. Just creepy. I wouldn't call it graphic. I've seen more graphic stuff on the news.
 
F

Frodo

Member
OMG. I just saw the video the shooter posted and I'm shocked. I feel for the family of the victims. Having to deal with deal with this will be horrible. Seeing someone so trivially, so cold blooded shoot their loved ones for no reason at all...
 
P

protomouse

Member
Thornton Reed said:
why are people fucking watching this video???
Click to expand...

Curiosity, I guess. I'm generally not fazed by this kind of thing (unless it's particularly graphic).

Ninja Scooter said:
The most disturbing part is that he pull the gun out and waves it around for a good 10-15 seconds like 2 feet away from them and they (understandably) don't even realize it. That shit was more ominous than the actual shooting.
Click to expand...

Yeah.
 
A

Ashhong

Member
Rip to the two victims. I hope the third pulls through. They both looked so happy in the interview. Debating whether I should watch the pov..
 
L

Lan Dong Mik

And why would I want them?
Future PhaZe said:
What's even more unnerving is that there's a precedent for this now and a copycat will likely follow :/
Click to expand...

This is what terrifies me more than anything. Some sick fuck is going to see this video, buy himself a go pro and a gun, and try and out do it. The first person footage was fucking shocking and disgusting but it could have been so much worse and what breaks my heart is that it's only a matter of time before we see some truly disturbing go pro shooting rampage and it's put up on FB and Twitter just like this was. The sad thing is how do you even stop it from happening? Fucked
 
M

MikeDown

Banned
mcrommert said:
Not every murderer is mentally ill...always blaming mental disease makes us live in a pretend world where there is no free choice and the only reason anyone does anything wrong is a biological mistake

There is evil in the world whether you believe in it or not--and by ignoring it you're letting it grow
Click to expand...
Sure, but I don't think anyone here is arguing that. Mental illness (and genuine evil) comes in many forms, as a society it is our duty to make sure we do not neglect the individuals that need help/treatment. And I'm not just talking about medical treatment here, sometimes all a person needs is someone to talk to.
 
G

Garlador

Member
Stuff like this hits me hard. I'm recently engaged, and I'm in the phase where I'm planning my future, the rest of my life, with the woman that I love.

... And somewhere out there, some other couple was doing the same, and some psychopath will ensure they never have a future together.

I'm giving my fiance a long hug today.
 
H

hipbabboom

Huh? What did I say? Did I screw up again? :(
Ninja Scooter said:
Calling him "evil" is lazy and just deflects from the issues of mental illness andlets them go unchecked, which often culminates in situations like this one today. People need to stop that shit. This isn't a comic book.
Click to expand...

I wasn't going for a comic book vibe as you call it. The guy planned all of this and carried it out. I'm no expert but it bothers me how people just throw in mental illness as the cause when someone does something twisted and its further colors the taboo of mental illness and at the same time somehow absolves perpetrators of their responsibility.
 
P

Plasticine

Member
Virginia Shooter sued Tallahassee station for discrimination

The Tallahassee Democrat published this story on Flanagan's lawsuit in 2000:

A local television anchor-reporter, slated to lose his job with Tallahassee's NBC affiliate in two weeks, has filed a racial discrimination suit against the station --- alleging that news producers and other managers made offensive remarks about blacks and fired him for complaining about it.

Management of WTWC-TV, Channel 40, said the station was having a "reduction in staff" requiring the firing, but that the company was proud of its diversity record.

Vester Flanagan, who has reported for WTWC-TV since last March, said he and another black employee were referred to as "monkeys" and that a supervisor once told him that "blacks are lazy and do not take advantage of free money" for scholarships and economic opportunities. He said when he cited his own background of nearly seven years in television, going back to internships at San Francisco State University, the supervisor told him he was an "exception."

Flanagan, 26, said Thursday he was told on Feb. 9 his employment contract will not be renewed after March 15. Since filing suit late last month, he said, "their reaction has been more of arrogance and retaliation --- they told me, 'This is war,' and there could be no compromise."

General Manager Maria Moore said the station has not been served with the suit and could not comment on personnel issues or pending litigation. She said the decision not to renew Flanagan's contract was caused by corporate belt-tightening but declined to say how many staff cuts were being made at the station or how many blacks and whites worked at various levels in the company.
Click to expand...

Flanagan said a white supervisor, working on a story about a black homicide suspect who had "gold and green teeth," referred to the suspect as "just another thug." The same supervisor also speculated that the man had "collard greens" in his teeth.

Flanagan said that after complaining to supervisors about insensitive comments, he filed a formal complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations last December. He said "I had people coming up to me and saying, 'Hey, I hear you're not going to be around the station long' " in January, before the station notified him that his contract would not be renewed.
Click to expand...
 
O

ohhthegore

Member
KingGondo said:
tumblr_kss4xvn6RE1qzcxrxo1_1280.jpg
Click to expand...

I needed my daily reminder of how fucked up this whole world is
 
T

truly101

I got grudge sucked!
Ninja Scooter said:
"Law enforcement confronted Vester Flanagan on Interstate 66 and Flanagan shot himself, officials tell CNN. It is not clear whether he was killed or injured."

What does "It is not clear whether he was killed or injured" mean?
Click to expand...

The police won't release an official statement on his condition to the press yet.
 
R

rashbeep

Banned
Double D said:
What's nuts is that he sat there with the gun pointed right at her and she didn't see it. Looks like he waits for the camera to pan back to her before he does it. This is fucked.
Click to expand...

Yep. I've seen some pretty gross/gory things on the Internet, but this video is probably the most disturbing.
 
O

onadesertedisland

Member
Lan Dong Mik said:
This is what terrifies me more than anything. Some sick fuck is going to see this video, buy himself a go pro and a gun, and try and out do it. The first person footage was fucking shocking and disgusting but it could have been so much worse and what breaks my heart is that it's only a matter of time before we see some truly disturbing go pro shooting rampage and it's put up on FB and Twitter just like this was. The sad thing is how do you even stop it from happening? Fucked
Click to expand...

Gun buyback programs, mandatory long gun registration, handgun ban.
 
S

scitek

Member
Uh, so he used his phone to record himself shooting the reporter and posted it to his Facebook page. What an absolutely sick fuck.
 
D

DoktorEvil

Banned
Ninja Scooter said:
What would you call it? Do perfectly sane and stable individuals walk up to a group fo 3, two of which "did nothing to deserve being attacked" and start firing? It's not a huge stretch to think he was all there upstairs and something caused him to snap.
Click to expand...

The faxed manifesto & the uploading of the incident online all seem to suggest otherwise.

Are you suggesting that this is another James Holmes?
 
N

Ninja Scooter

Member
hipbabboom said:
I wasn't going for a comic book vibe as you call it. The guy planned all of this and carried it out. I'm no expert but it bothers me how people just throw in mental illness as the cause when someone does something twisted and its further colors the taboo of mental illness and at the same time somehow absolves perpetrators of their responsibility.
Click to expand...

Mental illness can also cause people to plan out horrific acts like this. And again, my point is in no way to absolve this guy of what he did. Mental illness or not people should be held accountable for their actions.
 
K

Karkador

Banned
I can't really call that video shocking when we've been dealing with these horrible shootings for decades now, with no signs of it slowing down. This is no more real than it was in 1999. It's crazy to think I'll soon have lived most of my life with these awful, personal outbursts (with fatal outcomes) being the norm.

I'm not sure if strict gun control is the answer, but our gun culture certainly contributes to the idea that lethal force is a means to a resolution.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

“It’s what the hero Himmel would’ve done” - Frieren fan stops train knife attacker in Taiwan
33
3K
Zathalus replied
Cartel launch drone attack on Mexico police station
2
60
3K
Airbus Jr replied
[LV Sun] Transformer catches fire at Hoover Dam; nobody injured
News
6
1K
AJUMP23 replied
Target refutes US police officer's claim he found tampon in Starbucks Frappuccino
18
2K
Karmic Raze replied
The murder of Swedish PM Olof Palme solved after 34 years?
21
2K
Forsete replied
Top Bottom