I was running on the elliptical at my gym this morning when the breaking news came across CNN about the tragic and truly senseless shooting of two journalists in Virginia on live television while they worked a routine news story. Alison Parker and Adam Ward were both in the prime of their lives and their careers. They were brutally shot to death by a former employee of the same TV network who had some sort of vendetta against both of these former colleagues.
The shooter eventually took his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and died in the hospital around 1:30 this afternoon. I still cannot believe that such a senseless crime happened today in a small, rural area outside of Roanoke. I will never understand what drives someone to commit such a horrible act of aggression against another human being.
I was in shock as I watched the interview at the gym with the General Manager of the television station who was explaining that the cameraman, Adam Ward, was engaged and that his fiancée is one of the producers of the morning show, so she watched these horrific events transpire live in their newsroom.
It was at that point that I had a feeling that this crime was perpetrated by someone with intimate knowledge of their station because no other motive really made sense. The reporter, Alison Parker, was in a serious committed relationship with another fellow employee who was a news anchor, they have been together for three years. Therefore, a jealous ex-boyfriend did not fit in this situation. The nature of the crime suggested it was someone who knew them both, I was saddened to learn later that my suspicions were correct.
In another unfortunate sign of the times we live in, as I was running, CNN posted another news alert that New York City and their Counterterrorism Unit had bolstered security at all New York news stations. That made sense to me especially until they determined the motive behind this attack, if it was terrorism related then New York always has to be extremely cautious with that.
However, it is on these days that I even more fully realize how blessed I am to be alive. I become even more grateful for all that I have been afforded in my life because it is a reminder that at any point it can be taken away.
The shooter mentioned the tragedies in Charleston, South Carolina and at Virginia Tech in a manifesto he sent to ABC News. He mentioned being angry but wanting to die in peace. These tragedies he mentioned and including the one in which he caused by his actions today have become unfortunately commonplace in our country.
The recent movie theater shootings and the announcement late last week by Regal Cinemas that they would begin a policy of checking bags and searching people for weapons have highlighted the unfortunate need for more security against gun related crime.
Furthermore, the series of school related violent tragedies punctuated by Columbine (which the Virginia shooter also mentioned in the document sent to ABC News) and the Sandy Hook tragedy are some of the most profoundly disturbing events we have experienced in our nation. This violence, this disrespect for life has to stop.
I covered a variety of aspects of the Sandy Hook school tragedy in my own work for a few different organizations. I have covered other events where I have had to interview someone or multiple people such as what Ms. Parker was doing today in a story on tourism when this horrific event transpired. I have never feared for my own safety while working a news story or an event or a fundraiser where I was representing a media outlet or submitting the story to a variety of outlets. We live in a nation where that should not be acceptable under any circumstances. These young people were just doing their jobs, something has to change, something has to be done to deal with gun related violence in America.
I am not sure what the solution is, and quite frankly, I do not have a solution. I just feel very strongly that human life is sacred, that all life should be protected, and that innocent people should not die at school or at work or in a public place in a civilized society. This crime today, and other attacks like it, are completely senseless and they simply must be eliminated from our national way of life. We should not, and honestly, cannot allow these sorts of tragic crimes where innocent lives are taken to continue.
The main issue here in this case, and with many others like it, remains that the root cause is not addressed. In many cases those who carry out these horrific acts have problems or issues that are not being addressed. An improvement in the availability of mental or psychological counseling and intervention would resolve these situations before these people are pushed to the breaking point and taking the lives of others. Something has to be done to change how we as a society deal with these issues.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims today, to the family of the man who caused this tragedy, and to all those who knew those who died this morning in Virginia. My prayers continue that one day we will find peaceful solutions to our societal problems and that our culture will embrace the concept that all human life is valuable and should be respected. My prayers continue that other Americans agree with my sentiments and that tangible progress can be made to end this senseless violence in our country on a permanent basis.