SHOOTING VIDEO USHERS IN NEW HORRIFIC CHAPTER IN SOCIAL MEDIA

Aug 27, 2015

By Andy Johnson

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Critics are concerned the video, showing the shooting of a reporter and camera man in Virginia yesterday, has ushered in a horrific new chapter in social media.

A grab from a video seemingly taken by Vester Lee Flanagan, who also goes by the name Bryce Williams as he shot at WDBJ reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward. The video was uploaded to Facebook 20 minutes ago. See SWNS story. The disgruntled former news reporter who shot dead two of his ex-coworkers during a live TV segment this morning in Moneta, Virginia had a grudge against the journalist and cameraman he killed. Vester Lee Flanagan, who also goes by Bryce Williams, started tweeting just after 11am this morning explaining why he opened fire on WDBJ reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27. Flanagan, who is African American, wrote that Parker made 'racist comments' and that a complaint was filed against her through the equal employment opportunity commission, but his station chose to hire her anyway. As for Ward, Flanagan says that after working with the cameraman once, Ward complained to HR about the former multimedia and general assignment reporter. It's unclear what exactly happened between the two men.
  A grab from a video seemingly taken by Vester Lee Flanagan, as he shot and killed WDBJ-TV reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward.

Within in an hour of the shooting, a 56 second video, showing the actual event itself from the shooter’s perspective, was uploaded to Facebook with a tweet from the handle Bryce Williams 7, alerting people to the crime that he had just committed.

The video then went viral.

As a result, not only did an audience learn of the gun violence, but almost immediately was able to see it and in many cases couldn’t avoid the video because it appeared on people’s Facebook newsfeeds and often began playing with no active click.

Police say the suspect, Vester Lee Flanagan II, a former on air employee at the same station where the victims worked, used the air-name Bryce Williams, died later of a self inflicted gunshot wound.

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