The News Corporation building in New York City.
A former employee of a Fox News affiliate in Texas shot and killed himself outside the front doors of the News Corporation building shortly before 9 a.m. Monday, a law-enforcement official said.And:The building houses Fox News headquarters and The Wall Street Journal, both of which are owned by News Corporation.
The man, Phillip Perea, 41 years old, of Irving, Texas, shot himself once in the chest outside of 1211 Avenue of the Americas, the official said. Mr. Perea had previously worked for a Fox News affiliate in Austin, Texas.
Police at the scene said that the man apparently shot himself with a small-caliber pistol, which was found on the ground next to him. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition, cops said.Mr. Perea had posted a series of videos called The American Workplace Bully: How FOX News Ended My Career. In the videos, he claimed he was unjustly fired from the Austin Fox News affiliate. The videos do reveal secretly recorded conversations with the general manager of the Austin Fox News affiliate saying other employees "feared" Perea and that Perea made them uncomfortable. He was ultimately fired for "unprofessional behavior." Also in the video series, Perea claimed he was actually fired because of a conflict with Austin police chief Art Acevedo, who was upset about a photo Perea had used in a story and subsequently refused any one-on-one interviews with the station.Prior to the shooting, the man was heard protesting Fox News, saying that the news channel ruined his life, a source said.
In recent days he had been tweeting to various Fox News personalities.
