As you may be aware, there was a horrific shooting at Bridgewater Plaza, near Moneta, Virginia (about 10 miles southest of Roanoke) this morning.
As WDBJ – Roanoke news reporter Alison Parker, just 24 years of age, with cameraperson Adam Ward, just 27, was interviewing a woman in the mall, a gunman approached and started firing. Both newspeople were killed.
This horror was seen on live TV – as was a brief shot of the killer, which was seen as Ward\’s camera fell to the ground. It is hoped that the camera image, and other eyewitness information (including the license plate of his car) will enable police to quickly apprehend him before he kills again.
There are no words to express the sorrow an event like this brings.
My heart goes out to the families of both victims.
May Alison Parker and Adam Ward rest in peace.
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UPDATE: The suspect, Vester Lee Flanagan, who worked under the name Bryce Williams, a former on-air reporter for WDBJ, has apparently shot himself…and is alive, though in very critical condition.
There are also reports that he accused Parker of making racial comments. No confirmation on this.
More as I know it.
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FURTHER UPDATE: Information coming in quickly now. Williams apparently had been hired and fired several times in the past, and was considered an extremely difficult person to work with who made racial accusations at other places of employment.
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FURTHER UPDATE: Bryce Williams has died, the result of his self-inflicted gunshot wounds. This self-liquidates the story, since there is no way to find out what caused him to shoot and kill Parker and Ward – whether they were specific targets, just two people from the station he knew he had off-site access to or some other reason.
