US TV journalists shot dead on air
Two US journalists have been shot dead during a live TV report in Virginia. 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 […]
Two US journalists have been shot dead during a live TV report in Virginia.
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.
He subsequently shot himself.
Augusta County Sheriff’s Office has named the suspect as Vester Lee Flanagan. 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.
“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… I am numb,” he said on Twitter.
“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.”