Reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward, TV journalists for local Virginia TV Station WDBJ, have been fatally shot during a live broadcast overnight, police say.
Vester Lee Flanagan II, a former WDBJ employee who used the on-air name Bryce Williams, is the alleged shooter, according to The Guardian. During an early morning live-cross in Virginia, Parker and Ward both died at the scene following the shooting; the journalists’ interviewee Vicki Gardner was also shot, but reportedly remains in a stable condition.
Flanagan also died hours following the incident, after posting harrowing footage of the killing on social media, allegedly filmed by his own camera.
US broadcaster ABC News reportedly received documents from Flanagan following the shooting, explaining his motives for the shooting, citing the recent mass shooting in Charleston, South Carolina.
“Why did I do it? I put down a deposit for a gun on 6/19/15. The Church shooting in Charleston happened on 6/17/15 …What sent me over the top was the church shooting.”
2016 US Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called for greater gun control following the shooting.
Heartbroken and angry. We must act to stop gun violence, and we cannot wait any longer. Praying for the victims’ families in Virginia. -H
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 26, 2015
Walmart announced today that AR-15s and other assault rifles would be pulled from shelves – due to a lack of demand by customers, Quartz reports.
Alison Parker’s partner and fellow WDBJ employee, Chris Hurst, commented on the tragedy on Twitter earlier this morning.
We were together almost nine months. It was the best nine months of our lives. We wanted to get married.We just celebrated her 24th birthday
— Chris Hurst (@chrishurstwdbj) August 26, 2015
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.
— Chris Hurst (@chrishurstwdbj) August 26, 2015
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.
— Chris Hurst (@chrishurstwdbj) August 26, 2015
In a statement, WDBJ7 manager Jeff Banks said, “Our hearts are broken.”
