2 journalists shot dead in Virginia
Print Edition
A TELEVISION reporter and a cameraman were shot to death on the air during a live broadcast yesterday in Virginia by a gunman the governor described as a disgruntled station employee who was being chased by police on a nearby highway.
Law enforcement personnel have a photo of the suspect and he was known to the victims, Governor Terry McAuliffe said during an appearance on WTOP-FM’s “Ask the Governor” yesterday morning.
McAuliffe said the shooter was believed to be a disgruntled employee of the TV station named Vester Lee Flanagan, 41.
Police pursued the suspect and in the late morning, an ABC local affiliate and CNN reported the suspected shooter had shot and killed himself.
Jeffrey A. Marks, general manager of WDBJ-TV, identified the two killed as Alison Parker and Adam Ward.
Video shows Parker interviewing an economic development official, Vicki Gardner, around 6:45am about tourism around Franklin County’s Smith Mountain Lake. She was seriously injured in the incident.
The station said in a tweet shortly before the shooting that Parker was looking into the planning process for a celebration.
Parker was smiling when suddenly eight shots were heard. Parker screams, runs and can be heard saying, “Oh my God.”
As the camera drops to the ground, it captures what appears to be a fleeting image of the shooter.
The person is wearing black pants and a blue top and appears to be holding a handgun.
The station then switches back to a shot of an anchor back at the station, who appears shocked and says, “OK, not sure what happened there. We will of course let you know as soon as we find out what those sounds were from.”
In a tweet, the TV station said: “We love you, Alison and Adam.”
Parker just turned 24 and attended James Madison University, where she was the editor of the school’s newspaper, The Breeze. She also had been an intern at WDBJ-TV.
Her boyfriend, WDBJ anchor Chris Hurst, said they hadn’t shared their relationship publicly but “were very much in love.”
He 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.
“I am numb,” he said.
The station’s website says Ward was 27 and a graduate of Virginia Tech. He was engaged to a producer at the station, Melissa Ott, said WDBJ spokesman Mike Morgan.
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