TV Reporter And Cameraman Shot Dead During Live Broadcast

A former TV news reporter is suspected of fatally shooting two former colleagues Wednesday morning during a live broadcast — and then appeared to post his own videos of the killings on social media.

The alleged shooter, Vester Lee Flanagan II — who went by Bryce Williams on air — fatally shot himself shortly before noon after a morning manhunt, police said.

The scene of sudden shock and horror was first captured at a shopping plaza in Moneta, Va. during a routine news story on WDBJ, a CBS affiliate in Roanoke.

"We heard screaming, and then we heard nothing," station manager Jeff Marks said on air while announcing the deaths of reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27.

In the video, Parker is interviewing Vicky Gardner, executive director of the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce, at Bridgewater Plaza about tourism in the area.

As they talk, about seven shots ring out. Parker and Gardner scream and take cover as Ward drops the camera.

A man standing near the two women, dressed in dark clothing and holding what appears to be a gun, is briefly seen in the news clip. He calmly steps away from the scene before the video cuts away.

The video then cuts to a stunned reporter in the WDBJ newsroom, who tries to quickly carry on with a broadcast.

Reporters later confirmed Parker and Ward died.

"Our team's on working on (the story) right now, through the tears," Ward said.

Williams was a former WDBJ reporter who was fired about two years ago. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe called him "a disgruntled employee."

Hours into the manhunt for the shooter, Williams started tweeting from his personal account, including two videos he filmed of himself approaching the three victims, lurking next to them and then shooting. He whispers "Bitch" after pointing the gun at Parker.

"Alison made racist comments," he tweeted. "EEOC report filed...They hired her after that???...Adam went to hr on me after working with me one time!!!...I filmed the shooting see Facebook."

Williams also posted the clip on his Facebook page. It was taken down there, and his Twitter account disappeared minutes after he posted the videos.

The woman being interviewed was Vicky Gardner, head of the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce, according to The Roanoke Times. She was shot in the back and is in surgery, police said.

The ATF and FBI are aided local law enforcement in the manhunt for the gunman.

Parker graduated from James Madison University in 2012 and interned at the station that summer, according to her LinkedIn profile. She returned as a morning reporter in May 2014.

She was dating Chris Hurst, a fellow reporter at WDBJ, who mourned her in a series of tweets.

"We didn't share this publicly, but @AParkerWDBJ7 and I were very much in love. We just moved in together. I am numb," Hurst wrote.

"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 ... She was the most radiant woman I ever met."

Ward started working for the station in July 2011, the year he graduated from Virginia Tech, according to his LinkedIn page. He was engaged to Melissa Ott, a WDBJ producer, who was leaving the station after Wednesday for another job.

Security has been increased at the WDBJ station. The NYPD is stepping up security at some New York stations but police said there is "no direct threat."

SOURCE