Shocking footage aired at 6:45 am this morning during a live interview with WDBJ news station at Bridgewater Plaza Moneta, Virginia. 24-year-old reporter Alison Parker was interviewing a community member when she was shot and killed along with her camera man, 27 year-old Adam Ward.
Gunman Vester Flanagan was a former reporter at WDBJ two years prior and used the on-air name, Bryce Williams.
Flanagan was fired after one year of working with the station and had since been living in the area.
IMAGE SOURCE: CNN
ABC News reported they received a 23-page manifesto from Bryce Williams, and they immediately turned it over to authorities, according to a tweet.
Bryce Williams’ Twitter account uploaded a video of someone walking up to the WDBJ news crew and opening fire.
IMAGE SOURCE: CNN
On Bryce Williams’ Facebook page that has since been suspended, he wrote, “I filmed the shooting.”
Vicki Gardner, the woman being interviewed during the shooting and executive director of the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce, is recovering from emergency surgery after being shot in the back and is in stable condition at the Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital in Rocky Mount, Virginia.
CNN Reports: Just before 11:30 a.m., Virginia State Police saw the suspect’s Ford Mustang headed east on Interstate 66. With emergency lights activated, a Virginia State Police trooper initiated a traffic stop on the suspect vehicle, said police spokeswoman Corinne Geller.
The driver, later identified as the shooter, refused to stop, sped away, and crashed off the road. When troopers approached Flanagan, they noticed he had a gunshot wound. No information has been reported as to whether or not he is still alive.
Alison’s boyfriend, Chris Hurst, is an anchor for WDBJ7 news station and revealed heartbreaking details about their romantic relationship on Twitter.
Chris also uploaded a series of pictures of him and Alison and is thanking everyone for their overwhelming amount of comfort and support.
IMAGE SOURCE: IJ REVIEW
IMAGE SOURCE: IJ REVIEW
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their loved ones during this difficult time. For more information about the shooting, visit CNN.com.
