Update | US television journalists shot dead by former employee during live broadcast
A television reporter and cameraman were shot to death on the air during a live broadcast in Virginia, by a gunman the state governor described as a disgruntled station employee.
A television reporter and cameraman were shot dead on air during a live broadcast on Wednesday morning in Virginia by a gunman the state governor described as a disgruntled station employee.
The gunman, named as 41-year-old Vester Lee Flanagan II, later shot himself and died after being pursued by police along a nearby highway.
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Reporter Alison Parker was interviewing an economic development official at about 6.45am about tourism in central Virginia’s Franklin County. She was working with cameraman Adam Ward, said Jeffrey A. Marks, general manager of WDBJ-TV.
Parker was smiling when at least eight shots were heard. Parker screamed, ran and could be heard saying, “Oh my God.”
As the camera dropped to the ground, it captured what appeared to be a fleeting image of the shooter. The person was wearing black trousers and a blue top and appeared to be holding a handgun.
The channel then switched back to a shot of an anchor back at the TV station, who appeared shocked and said, “OK, not sure what happened there. We will of course let you know as soon as we find out what those sounds were from.”
During an appearance on WTOP-FM’s on Wednesday morning, Governor Terry McAuliffe said that law enforcement personnel had a photo of the suspect and that he was known to the victims.
McAuliffe said the shooter was believed to be a disgruntled employee of the television station.
The station said Flanagan appeared on air as Bryce Williams. The Twitter account was later taken down.
ABC News reported on its website that the network received a 23-page fax from someone claiming to be Williams. The network said the fax was turned over to authorities and did not elaborate on its contents.
Parker had just turned 24 and attended James Madison University, where she was the editor of the school’s newspaper. She also previously worked as an intern at WDBJ-TV.
Her boyfriend, WDBJ anchor Chris Hurst, said they had just moved in together and wanted to get married. She had just finished a special package on child abuse for the station, he said.
“Adam was our go-to guy. He pretty much was available to do anything that we asked,” Morgan said. “He did live shots during our morning show for several years.”
The station is based in Roanoke, Virginia, and serves the southwest and central part of the state. About 50 people work there, Marks said.
The shopping mall where the shooting happened is just off Smith Mountain Lake in Moneta, southeast of Roanoke.