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Suspect in Fatal On-Air Attack Shoots Himself

CBN

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The man suspected of murdering a reporter and cameraman during a live broadcast in central Virginia has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being confronted by police on I-66 Wednesday.

The alleged gunman is identified as Vester Lee Flanagan II, a 41-year-old former employee of WDBJ7 from Roanoke, Virginia. He also goes by the name Bryce Williams.

The victims, 24-year-old Alison Parker and 27-year-old Adam Ward, were killed at 6:45 a.m. Wednesday while on a shoot a shopping center.

Ward was interviewing economic development official Vicki Gardner about local tourism in Franklin County when the gunman opened fire. Gardner was also injured in the shooting.

Parker was last seen smiling on air when suddenly eight shots were fired, the camera dropped to the ground and screaming was heard.

The station immediately returned to the anchor back at the station who had a horrified look on her face as she said, "Okay, not sure what happened there. We will of course let you know as soon as we find out what those sounds were from." 

Shortly after the shooting, WDBJ-TV general manager Jeffrey Marks appeared on air calling the shooting, "a terrible crime against two fine journalists."

Marks continued, "I cannot tell you how much they were loved. Alison and Adam...Our hearts are broken."

Parker was a morning reporter who graduated from James Madison University. She had just celebrated her 24th birthday and was romantically involved with one of the station's anchors, Chris Hurst.

Hurst took to Twitter after the shooting to say, "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." 

He also tweeted about the second victim, Ward, saying his  fiancée "worked with Adam every day. They were a team. I am heartbroken for his fiancee."

Ward was a 27-year-old graduate of Virginia Tech who was engaged to a producer at the station, Morgan Ott. He had been with the station for four years, and was described by a spokesman as WDBJ-TV's "go-to guy."

About 50 people work at the Roanoke based station that serves the southwest and central part of the state.

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