Two US journalists shot dead during a live TV report in Virginia, gunman shoots self

Two US journalists shot dead during a live TV report in Virginia, gunman shoots self


Two US journalists have been shot dead during a live TV report in Virginia. Richard Lister says there were eight distinct shots and screams on the video of the shooting

WDBJ7 TV reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27, were killed during an interview in the town of Moneta, the TV station said.

A man, apparently a disgruntled former employee of the TV station, uploaded a video of himself shooting the reporter at close range on social media.

US media reports say he has subsequently shot himself - but is still alive.

Augusta County Sheriff's Office named the suspect as Vester Lee Flanagan.

 The Twitter and Facebook accounts of Bryce Williams have been suspended

Known professionally as Bryce Williams, police said he was a former WDBJ7 staff member. His Twitter and Facebook accounts have now been suspended.

The attack took place at a large shopping centre, Bridgewater Plaza, near Smith
Mountain Lake.

A live footage apparently captured the gunman

Ms Parker was starting a breakfast TV interview about tourism at the shopping centre when suddenly eight shots rang out, the camera spun and dropped to the ground, and her screams could be heard.

The footage then captures what appears to be a fleeting image of the gunman, who is wearing black trousers and a blue top - and holding a handgun.

The station said the woman who was being interviewed, Vicki Gardner of the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce, had survived the attack but was in hospital and required surgery.

Media captionWDBJ-TV general manager Jeffrey A. Marks called shooting ``a terrible crime against two fine journalists.''

"Alison and Adam died this morning at 06:45 shortly after the shots rang out. We do not know the motive or who the suspect or the killer is," the station's president and general manager, Jeffrey Marks, announced on air.

"I cannot tell you how much they were loved by the WDBJ7 team... our hearts are broken," he said.

He added that the station's building was in lockdown, under police protection.

"Police have advised us that as long as this person is on the loose, we should stay in the building. We have police protection," he told the Associated Press news agency.

WDBJ7 anchor Chris Hurst revealed that he and Ms Parker had been in a relationship and had planned to marry.

"We didn't share this publicly, but @AParkerWDBJ7 and I were very much in love. We just moved in together. I am numb," he said on Twitter.

"We were together almost nine months. It was the best nine months of our lives. We wanted to get married. We just celebrated her 24th birthday.

"She was the most radiant woman I ever met. And for some reason she loved me back. She loved her family, her parents and her brother."

He added that Ms Parker had worked on a regular basis with Mr Ward, and that he was heartbroken for his fiancee, a producer at the station.

Suspect in murder of journalists on live TV shot himself

The shooting set off a manhunt that ended with the suspect shooting himself, WDBJ7-TV said.
The station, which initially reported that the suspect had died, amended the statement and said he was in critical condition.

Shots rang out seconds after this live interview by a WDBJ crew n Franklin County, Va.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe told WTOP radio the suspect was a "disgruntled" WDBJ employee.

Becky Coyner, with the Augusta County Sheriff's Office, said authorities had been looking for Vester Flanagan, 41, who used the name Bryce Williams while working for WDBJ. Video has been posted on what appears to be Williams' Facebook page showing the shooting from the perspective of the shooter. The gun is visible and a victim, Alison Parker, is seen being shot.

The station said the shooting took place at about 6:45 a.m., at Smith Mountain Lake, a resort about 35 miles from Roanoke. Killed were WDBJ7 cameraman Adam Ward, 27, and reporter Parker, 24. A woman being interviewed was wounded.

The live broadcast at the time of the shooting showed Parker interviewing someone at a resort when, just off camera, shots rang out and Parker was heard screaming. The recording appears to include a glimpse of the gunman dressed in black.


"This kind of loss will resonate in these halls for a long, long time as we remember in their short lives what dedicated journalism they produced and what outstanding journalists they were," WDBJ7 general manager Jeffrey Marks said.

Authorities were "working very diligently to track down the motive and the person responsible for this terrible crime against two fine journalists," Marks said. "They were just out doing their job today."

Marks said it appeared that Ward was shot first, and that Parker was shot trying to flee. Marks said authorities told him they were pursuing a possible suspect. He said Ward was engaged to producer Melissa Ott, who was working at the station at the time of the shooting and saw the tragedy unfold.