(AP) - A TV reporter and cameraman were shot to death during a live television interview Wednesday by a gunman who recorded himself carrying out the killings and posted the video on social media after fleeing the scene.Īuthorities identified the suspect as a journalist who had been fired from the station earlier this year. 26, 2015, when a gunman opened fire during a live on-air interview in Moneta, Va.
Parker and Ward were killed, Wednesday, Aug. I am heartbroken for his fiancée.This screenshot from WDBJ-TV7, in Roanoke, Va., shows reporter Alison Parker and photographer Adam Ward. "I am comforted by everyone at We are a family. She loved her family, her parents and her brother. He continued: "She was the most radiant woman I ever met. "We didn't share this publicly, but and I were very much in love," said 6 & 11 Anchor for WDBJ7 Chris Hurst. We didn't share this publicly, but and I were very much in love. "This is another example of gun violence that is becoming all too common," Earnest told reporters.Īlison Parker attended Patrick Henry Community College and James Madison University, and Ward was a graduate of Salem High School and Virginia Tech. White House spokesperson Josh Earnest briefly addressed the tragedy during today's press briefing to send the "thoughts and prayers of everyone at the White House" to the families of those impacted by the shooting. I just got off the phone with the state police - they are working very diligently to track down both the motive and the person responsible for this crimes against two very fine journalists." "We do not know the motive, we do not know who the killer is.
"It is my very, very sad duty to report that we have determined through the help of the police and our own employees that Alison and Adam died this morning shortly after 6.45am after the shots rang out," Marks said. WDBJ President and General Manager Jeff Marks announced the news in a live broadcast at 8.45am today. How Alison Parker & Adam Ward should be remembered instead of the horrific video /KoNjJOqr7k Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe told WTOP-FM that the authorities believe the suspect was a "disgruntled employee" and that the incident was "not a case of terrorism". The Twitter account purportedly run by Flanagan is said to have posted first-person video of the shooting, and has since been suspended by Twitter. Gardner "continues to undergo treatment for injuries sustained" in the shooting, according to police The woman being interviewed by Parker was head of the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce Vicki Gardner, who was shot in the back during the attack. Video of the shooting has circulated online, but Digital Spy will not be running it. Parker was conducting an interview with a guest at a lakeside shopping and recreational sports plaza, before gunshots were heard and she was seen ducking for cover. The incident occurred at Bridgewater Plaza in Bedford County at around 6.45am.
"It is with extreme sadness that we report WDBJ7's Alison Parker and Adam Ward were killed in an attack this morning," the CBS affiliate said today (August 26), also paying tribute to their colleagues with a Twitter post. VA shooter Vester Lee Flanagan is a former employee of reported under the name Bryce Williams /3qBDgQ684q hLSzQi06XEĪugusta County Sheriff's Office identified the suspect as 41-year-old Vester Lee Flanagan II - who went by the name Bryce Williams on air - of Roanoke.įranklin County sheriff Bill Overton has confirmed that Flanagan died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a Virginia hospital at 1.30pm local time, after being located by authorities. The victims have been confirmed as 24-year-old reporter Alison Parker and 27-year-old cameraman Adam Ward. A reporter and photographer have been shot dead in an attack during a live TV report in Virginia, and the man accused of shooting them is now confirmed to have died after turning the gun on himself.