The guy's full of shit. Charleston is just something he latched on to in order to portray himself as some kind of righteous avenger. He shot at three people, yet the two he killed were former co-workers that he felt had wronged him. If this was some kind of vengeance for Charleston, why was the one person who survived the CoC lady with whom he had no prior relationship? Because he didn't really care if he killed her or not, but he was absolutely determined that the cameraman and reporter were going to die. He has a long history of workplace paranoia and grudges about his failed career. If Dylann Roof were still just some anonymous angry redneck kid, this guy likely still would have done what he did IMO.
Agreed.
Came across this on Reddit so I can't speak to its authenticity Â
social media and mental illness is because IMO (of course), social media has provided an outlet for some seriously disturbed people to live out their psychosis. It wasn't enough to kill these two people. He had to film it and put it on line. He could have had many things wrong with him, but the same scenario plays out as in other killings. Long held grievances, usually totally imagined, trigger event, and a desire to be noticed, hence the videos and the manifesto. It's a way of proving to everyone that they are important and we will regret how we treated them.
It's very sad and I don't know what we can do to intervene in these types of cases before they get to this point.
The boyfriend going to Twitter in the morning and then showing ... Â
... a picture book on TV later in the day rubs me the wrong way. I know, everyone grieves differently, but I just wouldn't.
Agreed. And he was just on Fox News and didn't seem like it was the day he lost his love. Me personally, I probably wouldn't say a damn word to anyone until I had a chance to decompress. To each their own I suppose.
even for a second judging how someone grieves. I could see being skeptical if the husband or fiancee or whatever could be a potential suspect, but we know that's not the case here.
I pray to God none of us are ever in that position, but we truly have no idea how we would react if we were.
even for a second judging how someone grieves. I could see being skeptical if the husband or fiancee or whatever could be a potential suspect, but we know that's not the case here.
I pray to God none of us are ever in that position, but we truly have no idea how we would react if we were.
My heart goes out to that guy.
I call them like I see them. And I can tell you that I would not be tweeting if anything close to this happened to me.
when they accept death and think they have nothing to lose.
Idiots like this are simply terrorists. We've seen so many crazy individual shootings over the years. A big fear of mine for the future is that somehow several of these crazies get in touch with each other and organize something together. I know that the FBI and CIA and etc. are all doing a thorough job at making sure something like that never happens. And I know that most of these individuals are just trying to make an individual "statement" and that might not work in a group. Maybe this is just paranoia but we've seen 1 random shooter commit absolute atrocities, the thought of what several of them can do together with an organized plan scares the shit out of me.
RIP to Alison Parker and and Adam Ward. Just senseless.
even for a second judging how someone grieves. I could see being skeptical if the husband or fiancee or whatever could be a potential suspect, but we know that's not the case here.
I pray to God none of us are ever in that position, but we truly have no idea how we would react if we were.
My heart goes out to that guy.
Which is why I said "to each their own".
And as humans we often compare others reactions to our own. Just human nature.
even for a second judging how someone grieves. I could see being skeptical if the husband or fiancee or whatever could be a potential suspect, but we know that's not the case here.
I pray to God none of us are ever in that position, but we truly have no idea how we would react if we were.
My heart goes out to that guy.
I call them like I see them. And I can tell you that I would not be tweeting if anything close to this happened to me.
I hope you haven't been in this type of situation, and if you haven't, how in the world do you know what you would be doing?
But when you watch the first person vid you can see why there is all of that lingering going on by the gunman before he takes his shot, it was purely tactical. When he walks up on them the camera guy doesn't have his camera on the reporter, all that lingering is just him waiting until the camera guy gets focused on her so the tv audience can see the reporter getting shot. As soon as the camera pans to the reporter he shoots
does a background check on a gun purchase go? I have never bought a gun so I have no idea what is asked or what you need to provide.
Just wondering if current and former employers are checked and if they weren't listed how else would authorities might have found out about this lunatic's past. His EEOC complaint produced many threatening letters from the station during in the review. Would the background check had surfaced those?
I was wondering why he seemed to appropach them, aim, Â
does a background check on a gun purchase go? I have never bought a gun so I have no idea what is asked or what you need to provide.
Just wondering if current and former employers are checked and if they weren't listed how else would authorities might have found out about this lunatic's past. His EEOC complaint produced many threatening letters from the station during in the review. Would the background check had surfaced those?
The problem with this is that being let go from a job would probably not show up on a background check. Companies don't say why someone was let go because they can get sued. All they will do is confirm the dates of employment. That's why when you hire someone, you always try to get a reference from someone who worked directly with that person. And sometimes they are not allowed to say anything. I don't know if the EEOC report would show up.
The day Flanagan was fired from a Virginia TV station in 2013, his bosses called 911 because of his volatile behavior—an incident captured on camera by Adam Ward, a man who would later become one of his victims.
At a February 2013 meeting, managers at WDBJ7 in Roanoke told Flanagan he wasn’t a good fit and would be terminated. Flanagan became “agitated” before issuing a threat, one boss recalled in court papers.
“I’m not leaving,” fumed Flanagan, who went by “Bryce Williams” on air. “You’re going to have to call the fucking police. Call the police, I’m not leaving. I’m going to make a stink and it’s going to be in the headlines.”
One former manager, Dan Dennison, claimed Flanagan terrified employees so much they took shelter in a locked office.
“He repeated… his feeling that firing him would lead to negative consequences for me personally and for the station,” Dennison said, according to a statement in a racial discrimination lawsuit Flanagan filed in 2014, which was dismissed.
The disgruntled newsman handed Dennison a small wooden cross and warned him, “You’ll need this.”
of course if he wasn't charged with anything, it probably would not have. Link - ( New Window )
When you combine the first person video with the live broadcast, piecing things together it is clear his lingering was solely because the camera guy was panning across the scenery and didn't have the reporter in the camera shot. As soon as he pans to get her in the shot the gunman fires
does a background check on a gun purchase go? I have never bought a gun so I have no idea what is asked or what you need to provide.
Just wondering if current and former employers are checked and if they weren't listed how else would authorities might have found out about this lunatic's past. His EEOC complaint produced many threatening letters from the station during in the review. Would the background check had surfaced those?
Background check for the most part only looks at any criminal history. And this can be a bit hazy as well since not everyone has felony (or even misdemeanor) records that will indicate that they should not be allowed to purchase weapons, especially when it comes to mental illness since no background check even touches one's medical records for obvious privacy reasons.
It's a fool's errand to think we can create a rule that will Â
predict who will use a gun for something like this or murdering his family or something random like Sandy Hook. And the 2nd amendment basically prohibits trying anyway.
We're pretty much stuck in a society where guns are cheap and easy to get and our nutjobs have no trouble arming themselves.
For example, you will be denied a firearm if your wife/ex-wife has a restraining order against you, but no one else?
Ronnie - if you have been involuntarily committed to an institution, that will show up...that's about it...or a court has a ruling against you...the system should not have let DR obtain a gun, for example.
For example, you will be denied a firearm if your wife/ex-wife has a restraining order against you, but no one else?
Ronnie - if you have been involuntarily committed to an institution, that will show up...that's about it...or a court has a ruling against you...the system should not have let DR obtain a gun, for example.
Thanks, Rob. I didn't know about the involuntary commitment, but it makes sense.
does a background check on a gun purchase go? I have never bought a gun so I have no idea what is asked or what you need to provide.
Just wondering if current and former employers are checked and if they weren't listed how else would authorities might have found out about this lunatic's past. His EEOC complaint produced many threatening letters from the station during in the review. Would the background check had surfaced those?
I'm a long island transplant living in NC now, bought my first gun 2 weeks ago, glock 19 9mm. In order to buy that gun i needed a pistol purchase permit. In order to get the pistol purchase permit i had to go to the county sheriffs office and fill out what basically equates to a job applicaton minus listing any previous employment. Filled it out and a few days later i was back at the sheriffs office picking up the purchase permit. So not hard at all if you don't have a fucked up background.
that the cameraman was moving to Charlotte. His fiance's last day was yesterday! She was in the control room when the news broke.
She is slated to join the Charlotte ABC affiliate next month and she and the cameraman were in Charlotte over the weekend finalizing a lease on an apartment.
that the cameraman was moving to Charlotte. His fiance's last day was yesterday! She was in the control room when the news broke.
She is slated to join the Charlotte ABC affiliate next month and she and the cameraman were in Charlotte over the weekend finalizing a lease on an apartment.
Now that is really sad. Within hours of relocating, and a nutjob crashes the whole thing.
As Ward and Ott prepared to move into an apartment in Ballantyne, Ward told Eberle that he was ready to leave the news business and asked for help in finding a new career.
They last spoke on Sunday.
Said Eberle: “One of the things I found interesting was the comment he made to me, he says, ‘You know TJ...I’m a little burned out in this job, going to film people’s worse days, whether it be a fire or crime scene.’”
Eberle said he compiled a list of about 20 people he was going to speak with to help Ward land a job in marketing or public relations.
does a background check on a gun purchase go? I have never bought a gun so I have no idea what is asked or what you need to provide.
Just wondering if current and former employers are checked and if they weren't listed how else would authorities might have found out about this lunatic's past. His EEOC complaint produced many threatening letters from the station during in the review. Would the background check had surfaced those?
I'm a long island transplant living in NC now, bought my first gun 2 weeks ago, glock 19 9mm. In order to buy that gun i needed a pistol purchase permit. In order to get the pistol purchase permit i had to go to the county sheriffs office and fill out what basically equates to a job applicaton minus listing any previous employment. Filled it out and a few days later i was back at the sheriffs office picking up the purchase permit. So not hard at all if you don't have a fucked up background.
Right. But this clown was so screwy his employer called the cops on him.
And he got to carry anyway.
Be careful who you piss off people. Be nice to irrational people.
killer considered racist were field, swinging and watermelon.
WDBJ cameraman Trevor Fair recalled others using the term “field” around Flanagan: “We would say stuff like, ‘The reporter’s out in the field.’ And he would look at us and say, ‘What are you saying, ‘cotton fields’? That’s racist,’” he told the Post.
“We’d be like, ‘What?’” he added. “We all know what that means, but he took it as cotton fields, and therefore we’re all racists.”
“This guy was a nightmare,” Fair told the Post. “Management’s worst nightmare.”
Then there was the time a station manager brought in watermelon for all employees. “Of course, he thought that was racist. He was like, ‘You’re doing that because of me.’ No, the general manager brought in watermelon for the entire news team. He’s like, ‘Nope, this is out for me. You guys are calling me out because I’m black.’”
7-Eleven’s sale of watermelon-flavored Slurpees didn’t escape Flanagan’s observations, either.
“It’s not a coincidence, they’re racist,” Fair recalled Flanagan saying.
killer considered racist were field, swinging and watermelon.
WDBJ cameraman Trevor Fair recalled others using the term “field” around Flanagan: “We would say stuff like, ‘The reporter’s out in the field.’ And he would look at us and say, ‘What are you saying, ‘cotton fields’? That’s racist,’” he told the Post.
“We’d be like, ‘What?’” he added. “We all know what that means, but he took it as cotton fields, and therefore we’re all racists.”
“This guy was a nightmare,” Fair told the Post. “Management’s worst nightmare.”
Then there was the time a station manager brought in watermelon for all employees. “Of course, he thought that was racist. He was like, ‘You’re doing that because of me.’ No, the general manager brought in watermelon for the entire news team. He’s like, ‘Nope, this is out for me. You guys are calling me out because I’m black.’”
7-Eleven’s sale of watermelon-flavored Slurpees didn’t escape Flanagan’s observations, either.
“It’s not a coincidence, they’re racist,” Fair recalled Flanagan saying.
Link - ( New Window )
Wow.. We obviously knew the dude was batshit crazy, but when you hear that kind of rationale it's just terrifying.
The conspiracy theorists are predictably out on this one as well.. claiming some tweet by the boyfriend about being numb to the whole thing, etc. was posted 12 minutes before the shooting actually happened. "Timestamp doesn't lie! This is an anti-gun campaign!" Good stuff.
I am not into conspiracy theories, especially when they come out after every tragedy like this....but one interesting note is the blue shirt in the first person video compared to the all back fatigues from the camera mans live feed. I know you can't really tell everything from that quick screen grab and could possibly distinguish exactly what color he was wearing, but it is pretty interesting.
So, some random lady with the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce is going to be an enthusiastic participant in a nonsensical conspiracy to fake a horrific videotaped murder....which occurs in the very marketplace she is promoting to increase economic activity??? Nothing boosts business like a live broadcast of a double murder!
And where do people who think that this was all staged think the woman who was killed went? They think she was paid off to get moved into some other country where she'd never be recognized and just start a brand new life over again somewhere under a new name and new persona as if it was no big deal? This woman who had a career here suddenly just agreed to be part of this huge hoax?
People also seem set on the "there's no blood! And how does she run away after being shot?!" angle. It happens so fast and this isn't a horror movie where fake blood dramatically shoots out everywhere to enhance the effect.
If you read the comments on the link Peter posted it's actually scary how delusional people are.
from the fallen camera man's camera is the result of him standing in a shadow without much lighting. You just can't see the detail of the sleeves in the same way you can in the first person look.
You know, I never have read any of the ranting of conspiracy theorists about Sandy Hook or other shootings, but I clicked on Peter's link. It truly is staggering just how willfully stupid some people are determined to be.
Seriously, let's round up the number of people who have to be party Â
The two people who were killed, who as arc says ostensibly have to be willing to start completely new lives somewhere else.
The wounded lady.
The shooter himself.
The staff at the TV station.
The police.
The paramedics who responded to the scene.
The doctors who operated on the wounded lady for hours.
The medical examiners who have custody of the deceased.
So let's say that, conservatively, there are two dozen people who are active participants. That doesn't even include the people who planned and funded the whole thing. Yet, somehow, the plot was so poorly carried out (in the minds of the mouthbreathers) that a bunch of dimwits on a web site can instantly detect the fakery??
Greg, and that's not even factoring in that they'd get that far along and then inexplicably use a white "shooter" wearing a shirt that is a different color than Flanagan actually was.
I mean, let's think about this for a second. All of these people would plot something out that took attention to considerable amounts of detail, required countless people to be "in" on it and then would overlook one of the most obvious parts of the entire thing inexplicably?
who has enough of a sharp, discerning eye to ferret out the influence of the international Zionist conspiracy behind this. Truly a fearsome intellect at work there.
Agreed.
Link - ( New Window )
It's very sad and I don't know what we can do to intervene in these types of cases before they get to this point.
Agreed. And he was just on Fox News and didn't seem like it was the day he lost his love. Me personally, I probably wouldn't say a damn word to anyone until I had a chance to decompress. To each their own I suppose.
I pray to God none of us are ever in that position, but we truly have no idea how we would react if we were.
My heart goes out to that guy.
I pray to God none of us are ever in that position, but we truly have no idea how we would react if we were.
My heart goes out to that guy.
I call them like I see them. And I can tell you that I would not be tweeting if anything close to this happened to me.
Idiots like this are simply terrorists. We've seen so many crazy individual shootings over the years. A big fear of mine for the future is that somehow several of these crazies get in touch with each other and organize something together. I know that the FBI and CIA and etc. are all doing a thorough job at making sure something like that never happens. And I know that most of these individuals are just trying to make an individual "statement" and that might not work in a group. Maybe this is just paranoia but we've seen 1 random shooter commit absolute atrocities, the thought of what several of them can do together with an organized plan scares the shit out of me.
RIP to Alison Parker and and Adam Ward. Just senseless.
I pray to God none of us are ever in that position, but we truly have no idea how we would react if we were.
My heart goes out to that guy.
Which is why I said "to each their own".
And as humans we often compare others reactions to our own. Just human nature.
Quote:
even for a second judging how someone grieves. I could see being skeptical if the husband or fiancee or whatever could be a potential suspect, but we know that's not the case here.
I pray to God none of us are ever in that position, but we truly have no idea how we would react if we were.
My heart goes out to that guy.
I call them like I see them. And I can tell you that I would not be tweeting if anything close to this happened to me.
I hope you haven't been in this type of situation, and if you haven't, how in the world do you know what you would be doing?
And you call what like you see it?
Same here, i've been thinking about it all day. I saw both videos earlier today and it was absolutely horrifying.
Just wondering if current and former employers are checked and if they weren't listed how else would authorities might have found out about this lunatic's past. His EEOC complaint produced many threatening letters from the station during in the review. Would the background check had surfaced those?
Just wondering if current and former employers are checked and if they weren't listed how else would authorities might have found out about this lunatic's past. His EEOC complaint produced many threatening letters from the station during in the review. Would the background check had surfaced those?
The problem with this is that being let go from a job would probably not show up on a background check. Companies don't say why someone was let go because they can get sued. All they will do is confirm the dates of employment. That's why when you hire someone, you always try to get a reference from someone who worked directly with that person. And sometimes they are not allowed to say anything. I don't know if the EEOC report would show up.
At a February 2013 meeting, managers at WDBJ7 in Roanoke told Flanagan he wasn’t a good fit and would be terminated. Flanagan became “agitated” before issuing a threat, one boss recalled in court papers.
“I’m not leaving,” fumed Flanagan, who went by “Bryce Williams” on air. “You’re going to have to call the fucking police. Call the police, I’m not leaving. I’m going to make a stink and it’s going to be in the headlines.”
One former manager, Dan Dennison, claimed Flanagan terrified employees so much they took shelter in a locked office.
“He repeated… his feeling that firing him would lead to negative consequences for me personally and for the station,” Dennison said, according to a statement in a racial discrimination lawsuit Flanagan filed in 2014, which was dismissed.
The disgruntled newsman handed Dennison a small wooden cross and warned him, “You’ll need this.”
of course if he wasn't charged with anything, it probably would not have.
Link - ( New Window )
Just wondering if current and former employers are checked and if they weren't listed how else would authorities might have found out about this lunatic's past. His EEOC complaint produced many threatening letters from the station during in the review. Would the background check had surfaced those?
Background check for the most part only looks at any criminal history. And this can be a bit hazy as well since not everyone has felony (or even misdemeanor) records that will indicate that they should not be allowed to purchase weapons, especially when it comes to mental illness since no background check even touches one's medical records for obvious privacy reasons.
We're pretty much stuck in a society where guns are cheap and easy to get and our nutjobs have no trouble arming themselves.
Ronnie - if you have been involuntarily committed to an institution, that will show up...that's about it...or a court has a ruling against you...the system should not have let DR obtain a gun, for example.
Ronnie - if you have been involuntarily committed to an institution, that will show up...that's about it...or a court has a ruling against you...the system should not have let DR obtain a gun, for example.
Thanks, Rob. I didn't know about the involuntary commitment, but it makes sense.
Just wondering if current and former employers are checked and if they weren't listed how else would authorities might have found out about this lunatic's past. His EEOC complaint produced many threatening letters from the station during in the review. Would the background check had surfaced those?
I'm a long island transplant living in NC now, bought my first gun 2 weeks ago, glock 19 9mm. In order to buy that gun i needed a pistol purchase permit. In order to get the pistol purchase permit i had to go to the county sheriffs office and fill out what basically equates to a job applicaton minus listing any previous employment. Filled it out and a few days later i was back at the sheriffs office picking up the purchase permit. So not hard at all if you don't have a fucked up background.
She is slated to join the Charlotte ABC affiliate next month and she and the cameraman were in Charlotte over the weekend finalizing a lease on an apartment.
She is slated to join the Charlotte ABC affiliate next month and she and the cameraman were in Charlotte over the weekend finalizing a lease on an apartment.
Now that is really sad. Within hours of relocating, and a nutjob crashes the whole thing.
They last spoke on Sunday.
Said Eberle: “One of the things I found interesting was the comment he made to me, he says, ‘You know TJ...I’m a little burned out in this job, going to film people’s worse days, whether it be a fire or crime scene.’”
Eberle said he compiled a list of about 20 people he was going to speak with to help Ward land a job in marketing or public relations.
Chilling that he films people on their worst days and he met this kind of fate
Two Reporters Killed - ( New Window )
All gun homicides are like this, we aren't watching.
Quote:
does a background check on a gun purchase go? I have never bought a gun so I have no idea what is asked or what you need to provide.
Just wondering if current and former employers are checked and if they weren't listed how else would authorities might have found out about this lunatic's past. His EEOC complaint produced many threatening letters from the station during in the review. Would the background check had surfaced those?
I'm a long island transplant living in NC now, bought my first gun 2 weeks ago, glock 19 9mm. In order to buy that gun i needed a pistol purchase permit. In order to get the pistol purchase permit i had to go to the county sheriffs office and fill out what basically equates to a job applicaton minus listing any previous employment. Filled it out and a few days later i was back at the sheriffs office picking up the purchase permit. So not hard at all if you don't have a fucked up background.
Right. But this clown was so screwy his employer called the cops on him.
And he got to carry anyway.
Be careful who you piss off people. Be nice to irrational people.
active shooter at mississippi state.... woo hoo guns! - ( New Window )
All gun homicides are like this, we aren't watching.
Agreed, seriously don't need to watch a snuff film. Still haven't watched the footage and have no intention of watching it.
WDBJ cameraman Trevor Fair recalled others using the term “field” around Flanagan: “We would say stuff like, ‘The reporter’s out in the field.’ And he would look at us and say, ‘What are you saying, ‘cotton fields’? That’s racist,’” he told the Post.
“We’d be like, ‘What?’” he added. “We all know what that means, but he took it as cotton fields, and therefore we’re all racists.”
“This guy was a nightmare,” Fair told the Post. “Management’s worst nightmare.”
Then there was the time a station manager brought in watermelon for all employees. “Of course, he thought that was racist. He was like, ‘You’re doing that because of me.’ No, the general manager brought in watermelon for the entire news team. He’s like, ‘Nope, this is out for me. You guys are calling me out because I’m black.’”
7-Eleven’s sale of watermelon-flavored Slurpees didn’t escape Flanagan’s observations, either.
“It’s not a coincidence, they’re racist,” Fair recalled Flanagan saying.
Link - ( New Window )
WDBJ cameraman Trevor Fair recalled others using the term “field” around Flanagan: “We would say stuff like, ‘The reporter’s out in the field.’ And he would look at us and say, ‘What are you saying, ‘cotton fields’? That’s racist,’” he told the Post.
“We’d be like, ‘What?’” he added. “We all know what that means, but he took it as cotton fields, and therefore we’re all racists.”
“This guy was a nightmare,” Fair told the Post. “Management’s worst nightmare.”
Then there was the time a station manager brought in watermelon for all employees. “Of course, he thought that was racist. He was like, ‘You’re doing that because of me.’ No, the general manager brought in watermelon for the entire news team. He’s like, ‘Nope, this is out for me. You guys are calling me out because I’m black.’”
7-Eleven’s sale of watermelon-flavored Slurpees didn’t escape Flanagan’s observations, either.
“It’s not a coincidence, they’re racist,” Fair recalled Flanagan saying.
Link - ( New Window )
Wow.. We obviously knew the dude was batshit crazy, but when you hear that kind of rationale it's just terrifying.
Link - ( New Window )
You'd have to have the entire news room in on it, troopers, a guy willing to commit suicide, as well as an unsuspecting interviewee.
It is one thing if a guy filmed this in his basement with no witnesses, but there are people who saw the shooting happen.
People also seem set on the "there's no blood! And how does she run away after being shot?!" angle. It happens so fast and this isn't a horror movie where fake blood dramatically shoots out everywhere to enhance the effect.
If you read the comments on the link Peter posted it's actually scary how delusional people are.
The two people who were killed, who as arc says ostensibly have to be willing to start completely new lives somewhere else.
The wounded lady.
The shooter himself.
The staff at the TV station.
The police.
The paramedics who responded to the scene.
The doctors who operated on the wounded lady for hours.
The medical examiners who have custody of the deceased.
So let's say that, conservatively, there are two dozen people who are active participants. That doesn't even include the people who planned and funded the whole thing. Yet, somehow, the plot was so poorly carried out (in the minds of the mouthbreathers) that a bunch of dimwits on a web site can instantly detect the fakery??
I mean, let's think about this for a second. All of these people would plot something out that took attention to considerable amounts of detail, required countless people to be "in" on it and then would overlook one of the most obvious parts of the entire thing inexplicably?
Incredible.