Lawmaker says bill could have prevented girlfriend’s death

RICHMOND, Va. – A Virginia lawmaker whose journalist girlfriend was fatally shot by a former co-worker during a live broadcast in 2015 is pushing for a new law he says could have prevented her death.

The Roanoke Times reports that Del. Chris Hurst has introduced legislation that prevents a job candidate from suing employers for sharing information about past violent or threatening behaviour. Companies would also be immune from lawsuits for considering any violent episodes when hiring.

Hurst is a former Virginia news anchor who was living with Alison Parker when she and cameraman Adam Ward were killed by former co-worker Vester Flanagan while reporting for Roanoke’s WDBJ-TV in August 2015.

Hurst said the station had been unaware of Flanagan’s troubled history before hiring him.