Jump to content

Reporter and cameraman shot/killed during live broadcast


Jake

Recommended Posts

Local news report near Roanoke VA was interrupted by gunman shooting cameraman, reporter to death. Person being interviewed is reportedly in surgery. The live feed gives a glimpse of the gunman, who was dressed in black and still holding his pistol towards the victims when the camera hit the ground.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 120
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

QUOTE (Jake @ Aug 26, 2015 -> 08:24 AM)
Local news report near Roanoke VA was interrupted by gunman shooting cameraman, reporter to death. Person being interviewed is reportedly in surgery. The live feed gives a glimpse of the gunman, who was dressed in black and still holding his pistol towards the victims when the camera hit the ground.

 

That video is pretty horrifying.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (Jake @ Aug 26, 2015 -> 08:24 AM)
Local news report near Roanoke VA was interrupted by gunman shooting cameraman, reporter to death. Person being interviewed is reportedly in surgery. The live feed gives a glimpse of the gunman, who was dressed in black and still holding his pistol towards the victims when the camera hit the ground.

 

Horrifying. What the hell could the motive be?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Aug 26, 2015 -> 09:22 AM)
Anyone listening to 560 this morning in Chicago? I only heard the end of it but it sounded as though Amy Jacobson seemed to blame Donald Trump and his attempt to call out the media bias for this.

 

I don't think I want to see the footage.

I despise Trump, but the bolded is just idiotic if that's really what they said.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of my professors on one of our Mizzou journalism networking groups

 

Folks,

I know many of you are thinking about the murder this morning and how many times you have been reporting in just such a spot. You can't help but think it could just as easily have happened to you. But I'm going to suggest that's not the case.

This is a very tragic, but also very rare event. It’s possible the killer was stalking this reporter. But it’s also possible he just decided to go kill some people on TV. We may never know, depending on if the catch him alive.

Whatever the reason, the odds of this happening to any of you are incredibly small. In fact, I can’t recall anything like this happening before. So while it’s smart to always be aware of your surroundings when you’re out reporting, I don't think reporters need to worry that they are now in any more danger than they ever were before. I doubt there will be copy cats since this is such a cold-blooded and purposeful crime.

You can’t live in fear that this will happen to you. It won’t. It’s better to think of all the people who count on you to be out there telling stories and reporting important information and that this not deter any of us from continuing to do that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (flavum @ Aug 26, 2015 -> 10:24 AM)
The killer added his own video of the killing on Twitter. His account was just suspended. Sick people. Catch this bastard.

 

it's like a GOPRO video of the shooting.. thankfully the version i watched stopped before the actual shooting.

 

it's one of the creepiest thing i've ever seen

 

he just walks up behind them, and neither of the 3 notices him :(

 

I guess it's being reported the shooter shot himself...

Edited by buhbuhburrrrlz
Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (buhbuhburrrrlz @ Aug 26, 2015 -> 10:51 AM)
it's like a GOPRO video of the shooting.. thankfully the version i watched stopped before the actual shooting.

 

it's one of the creepiest thing i've ever seen

 

he just walks up behind them, and neither of the 3 notices him :(

 

I guess it's being reported the shooter shot himself...

 

He's a coward. It's easy to grab a gun and f*** up the lives of people.

 

Most people are law abiding citizens with guns until they are not.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (Brian @ Aug 26, 2015 -> 10:53 AM)
Yeah. He killed himself right after posting the video.

 

he's alive and in critical condition after shooting himself

 

Cameron Austin ‏@CameronOAustin 4m4 minutes ago

WDBJ is now saying Vester Flanagan/Bryce Williams IS NOT dead. VSP just called and said he is alive. In "very critical" condition.

Edited by buhbuhburrrrlz
Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (buhbuhburrrrlz @ Aug 26, 2015 -> 11:10 AM)
he's alive and in critical condition after shooting himself

 

Cameron Austin ‏@CameronOAustin 4m4 minutes ago

WDBJ is now saying Vester Flanagan/Bryce Williams IS NOT dead. VSP just called and said he is alive. In "very critical" condition.

 

Hopefully someone just puts the pillow over his face.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is from the FB page of a news anchor in Indy who is a friend of my wife's:

 

Bryce Williams seen here claims to be the shooter of the Virginia reporter and photographer from this morning. He posted video on Facebook and Twitter of him pulling the trigger. His accounts have been suspended, but already viewed by numerous people. He was LIVE tweeting what happened and his thoughts about it. He claims he worked with the two in the past and that they made racists comments about him and said they went to human resources. Police are searching for him at this hour

 

This was before he shot himself, but it provides some insight on the motive.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (WilliamTell @ Aug 26, 2015 -> 11:15 AM)
Seeing that made me sick. Can't imagine how the people close to these two are feeling. What a terrible situation.

 

I know. No doubt family and friends were watching it live, or at the very least found out about it on TV. Nightmare day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TV station director sent this to students today...

 

I know by now you’ve heard about the murder of a reporter and photographer during a live shot this morning in Roanoke, Virginia. It hit us all in the face like a brick this morning. I watched the video and I can tell you there was nothing this crew could have done to protect themselves from a clearly deranged man with a gun.

 

That said, I want you to also know, we will always do everything we can to make you safe in the field. If you ever feel unsafe, get out of there and call me. No story is worth your safety. But that wasn’t the situation in this story. It was a live shot about a new tourism attraction. No perceived danger. No warning. No matter where you go, always be aware of your surroundings.

 

As a wise old sage (Stacey Woelfel) said this morning, it sure looks like this could happen to anyone, anywhere. But it hasn’t and it is very unlikely to spur copycats. Early reports tag the shooter as possibly a disgruntled former employee of the station. If true, that puts this in the category of a workplace shooting; an angry, deranged man looking for vengeance for a perceived slight. We cover this kind of shooting on an all-too regular basis.

 

This one strike close to home, because the victims look so much like us. We have everything in common with them. It hurts my heart. It’s legitimately scary.

 

If you’re looking for something to take from this horrible situation, take this: remember the hurt and heartbreak you feel right now. Every time some news director points at you and says go cover the shooting somewhere, be kind. Understand that the people you talk to are going through one of the worst days of their life. Be respectful. Look to the tell the human story of the victim. We owe them that much.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...