NYC photographer didn’t back away from snapping a few exclusive shoots of the tragedy

Mar 14, 2014 15:11 GMT  ·  By

Yesterday Harlem was the scene of a tragic happening. At least six people were killed and more than 60 were injured in what appears to have been a natural-gas explosion that collapsed two residential buildings and severely damaged a third.

But as the dreadful events were being unfolded, photographer Brain Wilson tought it would be appropriate to document events for posterity, so it unleashed its DJI Phantom quadcopter and GoPro to get the juicy footage no one else was getting (via Mashable).

Putting aside ethical issues, Wilson proceeded to handle its drone to get the desired footage, without taking into consideration that he and his quadcopter might have been in the way of the medical personnel’s attempts at helping the injured.

As you might imagine, NYPD wasn't too happy about the flying device buzzing over their heads as they were trying to keep the situation under control.

What was the punishment for Wilson’s behavior? Well, nothing much, except he was asked to vacate the premises by NYPD, that motivating safety consideration. This brings into questions the elusive laws regarding drones/quadcopters, but after this incident it’s pretty safe to assume, they are going to come under scrutiny, soon.

What do you think? Is this journalism taking it too far or do you think the footage might actually help investigators in some way?