Journalists shot, killed in Virginia during live shot

It's very upsetting.

In the big picture, I am largely at peace with the fact that this is the society we have created and decided to maintain. If it wasn't these two, it would have been someone else. And it will be someone else, soon enough. Maybe me. Maybe you. Someone.

 

The cameraman's fiance' is a morning show producer named Melissa. She was likely in the control room watching the live feed. She had just taken a job in Charlotte and there had been a going-away party planned.

The reporter was engaged to Chris Hurst, one of the station's main anchors.

 

I thought the same. You know exactly where they are going to be for a couple of hours.

 

The cameraman Ward was engaged to a morning producer Ott.

The reporter Parker was dating evening anchor Hurst as shown in his tweet.

 

Seven years ago, there was a female TV anchor in Little Rock who was raped and killed in the middle of the night at her house. She lived alone, let the dog out. Attacker walked in, raped her and killed her before she was going to go to work for her morning shift.

Especially in this era where managers want their reporters to tweet 29 times a day about what they're covering and where they will be, what you're really doing is putting someone with a visible job who attracts crazies (we all do in TV news, especially females) and giving their schedule out for where they will be to anyone who wants it.

This live shot wasn't breaking news. It was some light piece (perhaps tourism?) that was only necessary to fill time on a slow morning.

 

Guessing some kind of fucked-up gang initiation.

Years ago a restaurant manager in my hometown was killed the same way. Guy walked into the restaurant and shot the first person he saw, who happened to be the manager standing at the hostess stand. At trial it came out he did it because he was trying to get into a gang.

 

I never thought I'd get to this point, because I always try to tell myself that, statistically, the odds that I'll be a victim of one of these incidents is tiny. But I can't help it. I'll be standing in line. Or on the train. Or anywhere in public. And it will just send a chill up my spine thinking about how I have no way of knowing that someone isn't about to start unloading. And if they do, that's that. My thoughts usually turn to my children.

 

Inky,

Thank you for adding the back story here on this. I don't know the victims but I am familiar with Chris' work. Cannot imagine waking up to that.

Ex

 

Yeah, I'm guessing not.

 

The station GM is on CNN right now. Today is Melissa's last day at the station. She was indeed in the control room at the time of the shooting and saw it happen. I can't even imagine.

 

I honestly believe few people out there are really interested in what measures it would take and the time it would take and the sheer will it would take. America doesn't want to have a serious conversation about a whole lot of things.