Tipsheet

Horrifying: Journalists Killed During Live TV Broadcast in Virginia

Cortney O'Brien
Cortney O'Brien  |  August 26, 2015 9:25 AM

WDBJ Journalist Alison Parker, 24, and photographer Adam Ward, 27, were shot and killed during a live television broadcast Wednesday morning in southwest Virginia, reports Fox News.

Parker and Ward were airing a broadcast on tourism in the area when they were shot during an active shooting situation in Bridgewater Plaza, in Moneta, VA.

Stay tuned for updates.

Update: A very disturbing update for our readers. A screenshot is circulating social media that appears to capture a photo of the gunman before he shot and killed Parker and Ward.

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Update II: Local schools near the tragedy are on lock down as authorities search for the gunman. WDBJ General Manager Jeffrey Marks responded to the tragic news and dedicated a segment this morning to the young journalists:

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“Our hearts are broken,” Marks said. “They were out doing their job today.”

“They are working very diligently to track down the person responsible for this terrible crime against these two fine journalists,” he added of the police investigation into the shooting. “We do not know what the motive is. We do not know who the shooter is.”

Update III: The woman being interviewed during today's fatal broadcast, Local Chamber of Commerce official Vicki Gardner, was also shot, reports Fox News. She is currently recovering from surgery and is in stable condition.

Update IV: Other news stations in major cities are upping security measures after today's tragedy.

Update V: The shooter is reportedly a disgruntled former employee of WDBJ.

Update VI: Police have reportedly ID'd the suspect. His name has since been corrected to Vester Lee Flanagan. He was known to local viewers as Bryce Williams.

Update VII: In another sickening turn of events, it appears the shooter is actively posting on social media, including his own video of the shooting and motives for the attack. He allegedly accused the reporters of being racist. Twitter and Facebook has since shut down the accounts.

Update VIII: The murderer has shot himself, local news stations are reporting. He is in critical condition.

Update IX: The suspect is dead.

At a press conference today in Hardy, VA, authorities described the car chase that ensued after today’s fatal shooting. When police located the suspect’s vehicle, he refused to stop and sped away from a trooper who tried to stop him. He eventually ran his car off the road and a trooper discovered him with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital in Fairfax, VA, where he later died.