The video of the broadcast begins like any local news report, but turns grisly as Parker, the on-camera reporter, screams and a gun can be heard firing multiple times. The shooting of the two journalists, who worked for WDBJ, took place at Bridgewater Plaza, a shopping center in Moneta, Va., and was captured on live TV. Troopers found Flanagan with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and he later died at a hospital. Flanagan refused to stop, and his vehicle ran off the road and crashed. There is one person who has not watched the footage to this day: Andy Parker himself.Shortly after the shooting, ABC News said it received a rambling 23-page fax from someone identifying himself as Williams, mentioning the June Charleston church shooting as a potential motive and saying the massacre at the historically black church “sent me over the top.”Īuthorities apprehended Flanagan after spotting his vehicle and pursuing it. But to Parker's despair, versions of it persist seven years on. In statements, both Facebook and YouTube said they remain committed to removing the footage whenever they catch it or it is flagged. ![]() Parker with the additional copyright license" to force social media sites to remove it "if it is being used inappropriately."īut without actual ownership, Parker contends this is useless. He said the company has "repeatedly offered to provide Mr. Kevin Latek, chief legal officer for Gray Television, insists that their footage does not actually depict the murder, since the "video does not show the assailant or the shootings during the horrific incident." The company even accuse him of leaving "threatening and harassing voicemails for Gray Television employees at all levels." He did not inform Gray Television of his intentions according to the Post, his relationship with the company has broken down amid the ongoing dispute. While he does not own copyright of the footage shot by Ward - WDBJ parent company Gray Television does - he nevertheless created an NFT of the tape on Rarible in an effort to gain control of it, and thus more power to go after any platforms hosting it. Which is why Andy Parker is attempting the copyright route, which is more effectively policed. Although such violent videos clearly violate their policies, under current law, the companies are largely protected from liability on the content users upload. While big platforms such as Facebook and YouTube have taken down thousands of the clips, dozens remain, there and elsewhere. Gardener, who had curled into a fetal position in an effort to play dead, was shot in the back, but survived following surgery.įlanagan would shoot himself dead five hours later after a car chase with police.Ģ4-Year-Old Loses $300K Inheritance to Crypto Romance Scam Parker and Ward were struck in the head and torso, and died at the scene. On the morning of the 26th, the former reporter approached Parker and Ward as they were interviewing Vicki Gardner, executive director of the local chamber of commerce, and opened fire on all three.Ī total of 15 shots were fired. He later filed a complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against the station, claiming he was discriminated against because he was a Black gay man the complaint was dismissed after an investigation found it uncorroborated. Two versions of the gristly incident were recorded: one by the cameraman, and one by the shooter Vester Lee Flanagan II himself.įlanagan had been fired two years earlier by CBS affiliate WDBJ, because of his volatile behavior, and had to be escorted out of the building by police. "This is the Hail Mary," he told The Washington Post, admitting it is an "act of desperation." ![]() 5-Year-Old Detroit Boy Shot Multiple Times in the Face 'Execution-Style' Alongside Parents Two Teens Arrested
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