Page 19 - Jeff Marks News Today

This point? >> well, i dont have one worked up, but i would say can we pay some attention to mental health? now, thats not to suggest he hasnt. we had a state senator nearly killed by his son who was having mental health issues, and if thats indeed what was going on here with the gunman, what do we need to do to make sure that mental health services are available to everyone and reach everyone? may not have worked in this case, but if that was the case, lets at least keep the debate going. >> je...

Extended family that television news rooms and news viewers are. today general manager delivered the news and tried to express what he thought and felt of the killer. >> i think ill step out of my role as a former journalist and say im not sure whether i want him to live or die. if he dies he took the cowards way out. if he lives he goes on trial and goes to prison for the rest of his life. i presume that. in any case were hurt enough that i want to express our anger and we want to express our l...

Manager jeff marks and alison parkers boyfriend in an extensive interview about this difficult topic. we want to play that conversation for you in its entirety. >> chris, wow, i feel like -- i think a lot of us feel like we know you and knew alison by just the jobs you had, the life you shared. reading about you, looks like on your late shift and her early shift, you had a way of communicating. you would ask her to text you when she got to work. could you just tell us about that? >> thank you fo...

When it comes to the issue of for example gun control, something that has risen to the top today, weve heard from alison parkers dad talking about this. she says the station will continue to report accurately and fairly on these issues. theyre journalists at the core and that is what they will continue to do, really to honor the memories and lives of alison and adam. the crews are not out reporting live today. we have seen reporters from the sister station in missouri. at this location, we did s...

His back was turned to the shooter. i think they had very little notice and were probably not even aware. we understand that the authorities are still investigating. theyre still trying to put together a crime scene as to what exactly happened. and i guess well know more then. >> for kelly or jeff, do you have any indication how the shooter might have known that alison and adam were going to be at that location at 6:45 in the morning? >> well, it was not something that we necessarily promoted, b...

At that point the police arrived and escorted him from the building. on the way out, he handed a wooden cross to the news director, who was at that time dan dennison, and he said, youll need this. he also made a derogatory comment to adam ward, the news photographer, who we lost yesterday as he left. jeff marks also said that during certain pertain at wbdj, vester flanagan was basically ordered to undergo some treatment in the employee assistance program, is what they called it. they specified...

Back. jeff marks is the stations general manager. >> it was a little bother some that he was still in town and would be seen by our employees. but, again, what do you do? >> reporter: the shooter sued wdbj-tv claiming discrimination. the suit dismissed last summer. the station was the last stop in what appears to be a spotty career in local television. records showed he works at tv stations in greenville, north carolina, savannah, georgia, san francisco not far from his home town. in 2000 he was...

One is the employment history and how flanagan was hired given that there were other issues. he had been fired from previous news stations in the past for example, one in tall a see for similar issues. for performance and confrontational anger issues. the fact that the references were positive is interesting. the fact that he was fired and gone through a series of performance reviews that he never actually improved upon is also significant. there were students for flanagan apparently to improve....

Finally get her attention? was there a moment? what was it that you did? >> thats between us. and there have been many things that i have shared, but the early moments of our relationship were white hot and were wonderful and that flame remained burning yesterday and remains burning in my heart even now. >> jeff marks, adam ward, just from looking at the video, it seems like any of the great photographers i worked with, he seemed like such a nice guy. do you know how melissa is doing? i know she...

Him to live or die. if he dies he took the cowards way out. if he lives he goes on trial and goes to prison for the rest of his life. i presume that. in any case were hurt enough that i want to express our anger and we want to express our love for alison and adam who whenever i saw them here at work full of smiles and full of conversation and exuberance about what they did. they will be so missed and not easily replaced. >> jeff marks joins us now. jeff, again our shies are with you. i cant imag...