Dad of Reporter Killed on Live TV Turns Video of Murder into NFT in 'Hail Mary' Attempt to Get It off Internet

Alison Parker, 24, was shot to death on Aug. 26, 2015 while conducting an on-air interview

Allison Parker and her father, Andy. Photo: Courtesy of the Parker Family

In his ongoing efforts to scrub footage of his daughter's killing from the internet, the father of murdered journalist Alison Parker has turned the horrifying video clip into an NFT, or non-fungible token, PEOPLE learned.

Andy Parker's 24-year-old daughter was conducting an on-air interview for Virginia's WDBJ on the morning of Aug. 26, 2015, when she was shot to death by disgruntled former colleague Vester Flanagan.

Flanagan was live-streaming at the time of the ambush, which also killed Alison's cameraman, 27-year-old Adam Ward. Flanagan was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

For years, Andy Parker has been on a crusade to cleanse cyberspace of the disturbing footage.

Several social media outlets, where the footage has been viewed millions of times, have vowed to expunge the video from their platforms. Still, the video keeps popping up online.

In December, Parker transformed the footage into an NFT, offering it up to crypto investors through Rarible, a marketplace for digital art.

An NFT, according to NPR, is a unique digital identifier that cannot be reproduced in any way. It's a unit of currency on the blockchain used to certify authenticity and ownership.

Alison and Andy Parker. Courtesy of the Parker Family

Speaking to the Washington Post, Parker said the NFT was part of his latest effort to claim copyright ownership of the footage.

This, Parker explained to the paper, would allow him to sue any websites that host the video.

The original copyright to the video is reportedly owned by WDBJ's parent company, Gray Television.

The media company's chief legal officer, Kevin Latek, issued a statement to the Post, noting the footage that aired "does not show the assailant or the shootings during the horrific incident."

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Latek, in his statement, said Gray Television has "repeatedly offered to provide Mr. Parker with the additional copyright license" he needs to compel sites like Facebook and YouTube to remove the video "if it is being used inappropriately."

Parker, who is currently running for Congress in Virginia, acknowledged to the Post this latest move "is the Hail Mary — an act of desperation."

But having the copyright to the clip would not end his family's torment.

Footage of the murder, captured by the shooter, would continue to circulate online, according to the Post.