The general manager of Roanoke-based WDBJ Television says the ex-employee who killed two of his former colleagues yesterday hadn't had any confrontations with station staff members when he saw them around town in the two and a-half years since he'd been fired.
Vester Flanagan shot and killed two members of the WDBJ news crew, Alison Parker and Adam Ward, during a live broadcast Wednesday at Smith Mountain Lake. A woman they were interviewing, Vicki Gardner, is recovering from surgery after being shot in the back.
Flanagan, who was known on the air as Bryce Williams, was fired from WDBJ. Then filed complaints about the station to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that were later determined to be unfounded. Management says he was fired for poor performance and an unending stream of conflicts with co-workers.
WDBJ's General Manager Jeff Marks says when Flanagan was initially hired, the management team followed up on his references, which were all positive.
“It’s very hard to get a negative reference these days. Most companies have policies that forbid their people from giving references. So what you get a lot of is name, rank, and serial number. But those references that we did get back were positive. I think anybody can make positive references happen if they try hard enough.”
The manager of a Roanoke restaurant says she received angry, rambling letters from Vester Flanagan. Heather Fay at Jack Brown’s says a 15-to-20 page letter from him a few months ago criticized the restaurant staff for saying "have a nice day" to departing customers, instead of "thank you."
Meantime, there are memorial events and vigils taking place in honor of the victims throughout the Commonwealth, over the next few days.
