Murder Of TV Reporter, Photographer Shines Spotlight On Preventing Workplace Violence

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The murder of a TV news reporter and photographer by a former coworker is a wakeup call about issues surrounding workplace violence.

A former manager of the Virginia station says the shooter, a former reporter, had been fired two years and caused enough of a scene that the station called police.

Hector Alvarez, a security expert, trains companies in workplace safety. He says while the incidents may be hard to time out, there are almost always warning signs.

"There is no checklist, there is no profile of the person that will come back and do this. What there is, however, is a very clear pattern of behaviors leading up to it," he said.

Often times, he says, it's from the same type of people.

"I like to call these injustice collectors. They hold a grievance and no matter what you try to do, they don't resolve, and their reaction is disproportionate to what the incident is," he said.

One incident happened in the Sacramento area back in 2012 when a disgruntled former employee shot and killed Cordova Recreation and Park District superintendent Steve Ebert as he arrived at work.

Alvarez says to cut back on workplace violence, employees must speak up when they hear threats or witness odd behavior. Employers must protect employees who make reports, and companies have to investigate cases and notify law enforcement.

"We have to protect the people who bring concerns forward, just as much as the person who is the object of the threat," he said.

While not all incidents can be avoided, he says it's frustrating how many cases he's seen where a threat was made or behavior turned bizarre, but no one spoke up.