Adam
Ward, the photojournalist shot dead on live TV yesterday morning,
alongside TV reporter Alison Parker, may have filmed killer Vester
Flanangan as he was fired from their TV station in 2013.
Vester, who shot and killed three people yesterday including himself, worked at WDBJ alongside Adam and Alsion for two years, but was eventually fired due to his poor performance and aggressive behavior. He had to be escorted from the building by police after refusing to leave, an incident which Ward allegedly filmed. After the killing yesterday, Vester released a rambling manifesto-cum-suicide note, in which he blamed racial discrimination, as well as Charleston church killings, for his attack.
Vester, who shot and killed three people yesterday including himself, worked at WDBJ alongside Adam and Alsion for two years, but was eventually fired due to his poor performance and aggressive behavior. He had to be escorted from the building by police after refusing to leave, an incident which Ward allegedly filmed. After the killing yesterday, Vester released a rambling manifesto-cum-suicide note, in which he blamed racial discrimination, as well as Charleston church killings, for his attack.
In
a 23-page manifesto-cum-suicide note to a national news station, he
said he has faced both racial and sexual discrimination as a black, gay
man and that he was just waiting to explode. He previously sued another
station over allegations of race discrimination, claiming that a
producer called him a 'monkey' in 1999.
Yesterday
Flanagan had tweeted that he was angry at Ward for reporting him to HR
when the pair had only worked together once, but these new reports
suggest another possible motive for the slaying.
He also
tried to subpeona the personal records of around a dozen employees,
including Parker and Ward, though his request was denied. The whole
lawsuit was eventually thrown out for lack of evidence.
The
new information has emerged as Flanagan's relatives apologized to
families of the victims, saying his actions are 'a shock to everyone'.
Amber
Bowen, who went to high school with Flanagan, read a statement from the
family. She said: 'It is with heavy hearts and deep sadness we express
our deepest condolences to the families of Alison Parker and Adam Ward.'
Fighting
back tears behind her sunglasses she continued: 'We are praying for the
recovery of Vicki Gardner. Our thoughts and prayers at this time are
with the victims family and the WDBJ television station family.'
In
an earlier statement to KRON the family said: 'Words cannot express the
hurt that we feel for the victims. Our family is asking that the media
respect our privacy.'
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