![]() ![]() He had job interviews scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, and the day of his death was meant to be her last working at the station. Ward and his fiancee, who got engaged last year, were on the verge of moving to Charlotte. ![]() The story exploded on social media and dominated cable news broadcasts throughout the day, fueled both by the gruesome footage and by the stories of the two young journalists whose lives were ended. The killings were part of what appears to have been an elaborate plot carried out by a troubled man who - after years of professional turmoil and a growing rage he linked to the mass shooting at a Charleston, S.C., church - was determined to wreak vengeance against co-workers he insisted had wronged him.įlanagan’s scheme began with the legal purchase of his gun two days after the church massacre included an escape plan that involved ditching one car and fleeing in a rental and ended when he fatally shot himself during a police chase 200 miles from the site of Wednesday’s carnage.Īuthorities have identified Vester Lee Flanagan as the suspect in the shootings deaths of journalists Alison Parker and Adam Ward during a live TV broadcast near Roanoke, Va. Parker and a cameraman, Adam Ward, 27, died at the scene the chamber director, Vicki Gardner, 62, underwent surgery and is expected to recover. Flanagan II - an embittered former colleague - would soon post the horror he recorded to Facebook and Twitter. The station described the two dead journalists as an ambitious reporter-and-cameraman team who often filmed light and breezy feature stories for the morning program.ROANOKE - The gunman turned on the video recorder just before 6:45 Wednesday morning and, whispering a single sexist slur, pointed his black Glock at the TV reporter standing in front of him.Īlison Parker, 24, was interviewing the head of the local chamber of commerce live on Roanoke’s “News 7 Mornin’ ” show when the shooting began. An image caught on camera showed what appeared to be a man in dark clothing facing the camera with a weapon in his right hand. Gunshots erupted, and as Ward fell his camera hit the ground but kept running. The station's broadcast showed Parker interviewing Gardner about the lake and tourism development in the area. There was no word yet from the hospital on the condition of the woman, identified as Vicki Gardner, executive director of the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce. She had been talking about the anniversary and tourism. He said the interview was to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of Smith Mountain Lake, and the woman being interviewed was from the local chamber of commerce. Nothing of this nature than any of us could recall." The male driver is believed to be the same male subject who shot three people this morning in Franklin County during a television news interview," police said.Īsked on CNN if the station had been targeted or had been threatened, WDBJ7 President and General Manager Jeff Marks said, "Every now and then you get a crazy email or something and we'll look into it. "He is being transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries. The troopers approached the vehicle and found the male driver suffering from a gunshot wound," police said in the statement. "Minutes later, the suspect's vehicle ran off the road and crashed. In a statement, Virginia state police said the suspect refused to stop when spotted by a trooper and sped away. He was driving a rental car after leaving his own car at the Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport this morning, the station reported. The station reported that Flanagan shot himself as Virginia State Police were closing in on his rental car on Interstate 66 in Fauquier County. WDBJ7 reported that Flanagan was a former employee who was let go two years ago. One video clearly showed a handgun as the person filming approached the woman reporter. The videos were removed shortly afterward. The videos were posted to a Twitter account and on Facebook by a man identifying himself as Bryce Williams, which was Flanagan's on-air name. ![]() Hours after the shooting, someone claiming to have filmed it posted video online that appeared to be from shooter's vantage point. The broadcast was abruptly interrupted by the sound of shots as Parker and the woman being interviewing screamed and ducked for cover. The area is in the south-central part of the state, about 120 miles (190 km) from the capital of Richmond. ![]()
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