CBS journalists shot and killed during live broadcast in Virginia, A pair of television journalists at a CBS affiliate in Virginia were shot and killed during a live broadcast Wednesday morning, and authorities said the suspected shooter, a former disgruntled employee at the station, shot himself after being confronted by police on an interstate highway.
The suspected gunman was identified as Vester Flanagan, a 41-year-old former WDBJ-TV reporter who went by the name Bryce Williams on air.
The victims, WDBJ-TV reporter Alison Parker, 24, and Adam Ward, her 27-year-old cameraman, died shortly after the shooting, which occurred at approximately 6:45 a.m. at Bridgewater Plaza in Moneta, Va., near Smith Mountain Lake.
The gunman opened fire as Parker was interviewing Vicky Gardner, the head of the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce, live on the air. Gardner was shot in the back and taken to a hospital for surgery. . According to the Roanoke Times, Gardner is listed in stable condition.A chilling first-person video posted to a Twitter account appearing to belong to Williams shows what appears to be the shooter holding a gun behind Parker and Ward during their live shot, then firing three shots as Parker tries to flee.
"I filmed the shooting," Williams tweeted after alleging Parker had made "racist comments" about him.
The Twitter account has since been suspended as has a Facebook account belonging to someone with that name. Earlier, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe told WTOP radio that police were pursuing the suspect on Interstate 64, and that his apprehension was imminent. McAuliffe said suspected shooter had been identified by authorities and is believed to a "disgruntled employee" at the station.According to public records, Flanagan filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against WTWC in Tallahassee after the station fired him in December 1999. In the suit, Flanagan says he was the victim of racial discrimination and retaliation during his nine months on the job. The station denied the allegations, saying Flanagan was dismissed for poor performance and office misbehavior.
The case was settled out of court a year later.
WDBJ-TV president and general manager Jeff Marks confirmed the deaths of the journalists in an on-air update shortly after 9 a.m.
"It is my very very sad duty to report ... that Adam and Alison died this morning," Marks told viewers. "I cannot tell you how much they were loved, Alison and Adam. Our hearts are broken."
According to WDBJ-TV, Ward graduated from Virginia Tech. Parker, who grew up in Martinsville, Va., was a recent graduate of James Madison University.
Parker had just moved in with her boyfriend of nearly nine months, fellow WDBJ anchor Chris Hurst, who said they planned on getting married.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,” Hurst wrote in a series of tweets. “I am comforted by everyone at @WDBJ7. We are a family. She worked with Adam every day. They were a team. I am heartbroken for his fiancee.”
Ward's fiancé, Melissa Ott, worked as a morning producer at the station. According to Marks, Ott was in the control room at the time of the incident and saw the shooting happen live.
It was Ott's last day at WDBJ. She had taken a job in Charlotte, and Ward was going to follow her.
The suspected gunman was identified as Vester Flanagan, a 41-year-old former WDBJ-TV reporter who went by the name Bryce Williams on air.
The victims, WDBJ-TV reporter Alison Parker, 24, and Adam Ward, her 27-year-old cameraman, died shortly after the shooting, which occurred at approximately 6:45 a.m. at Bridgewater Plaza in Moneta, Va., near Smith Mountain Lake.
The gunman opened fire as Parker was interviewing Vicky Gardner, the head of the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce, live on the air. Gardner was shot in the back and taken to a hospital for surgery. . According to the Roanoke Times, Gardner is listed in stable condition.A chilling first-person video posted to a Twitter account appearing to belong to Williams shows what appears to be the shooter holding a gun behind Parker and Ward during their live shot, then firing three shots as Parker tries to flee.
"I filmed the shooting," Williams tweeted after alleging Parker had made "racist comments" about him.
The Twitter account has since been suspended as has a Facebook account belonging to someone with that name. Earlier, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe told WTOP radio that police were pursuing the suspect on Interstate 64, and that his apprehension was imminent. McAuliffe said suspected shooter had been identified by authorities and is believed to a "disgruntled employee" at the station.According to public records, Flanagan filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against WTWC in Tallahassee after the station fired him in December 1999. In the suit, Flanagan says he was the victim of racial discrimination and retaliation during his nine months on the job. The station denied the allegations, saying Flanagan was dismissed for poor performance and office misbehavior.
The case was settled out of court a year later.
WDBJ-TV president and general manager Jeff Marks confirmed the deaths of the journalists in an on-air update shortly after 9 a.m.
"It is my very very sad duty to report ... that Adam and Alison died this morning," Marks told viewers. "I cannot tell you how much they were loved, Alison and Adam. Our hearts are broken."
According to WDBJ-TV, Ward graduated from Virginia Tech. Parker, who grew up in Martinsville, Va., was a recent graduate of James Madison University.
Parker had just moved in with her boyfriend of nearly nine months, fellow WDBJ anchor Chris Hurst, who said they planned on getting married.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,” Hurst wrote in a series of tweets. “I am comforted by everyone at @WDBJ7. We are a family. She worked with Adam every day. They were a team. I am heartbroken for his fiancee.”
Ward's fiancé, Melissa Ott, worked as a morning producer at the station. According to Marks, Ott was in the control room at the time of the incident and saw the shooting happen live.
It was Ott's last day at WDBJ. She had taken a job in Charlotte, and Ward was going to follow her.
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