Latest details in on-air shooting: Community mourns, honors victims
By News Staff
news@abc6.com
The latest details on the fatal on-air shooting of two TV station employees in central Virginia (all times local):
3:15 p.m:
The disgruntled former reporter who killed a WDBJ-TV cameraman and another reporter had no confrontations with his ex-colleagues when he saw them around town in the 2 1/2 years after he was fired from the station.
Station General Manager Jeffrey Marks said at a news conference Thursday that employees reported seeing Vester Flanagan after he was fired in early 2013, but they were only sightings.
He says the station is still at a loss to figure out what happened to Flanagan after he was fired.
Marks spoke as dozens of station employees stood behind him, some of them holding hands. Reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward were shot to death by Flanagan on Wednesday morning.
3 p.m:
The disgruntled former reporter who killed two of his ex-colleagues wrote angry, rambling letters to a downtown Roanoke restaurant months before the attack. Heather Fay, general manager at a Jack Brown’s beer and burger restaurant, said she received a 15 to 20 page letter from Vester Flanagan three or four months ago. In the letter, Flanagan criticized the restaurant staff for using the phrase "have a nice day” to departing customers instead of "thank you.” Fay says she noted Flanagan’s name and a general description of his letter in her manager’s notebook.
2:45 p.m:
The woman who survived an on-air attack on a television reporter and cameraman is undergoing surgery to further repair damage from a gunshot wound to the back.
The Rev. Troy Keaton said Vicki Gardner’s husband and daughter were with her, and another daughter was flying in from Portland, Oregon. Keaton is chairman of the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce, where Gardner works. Gardner was listed in good condition at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. She was wounded in an attack that killed Alison Parker and Adam Ward.
Gardner was the chamber’s first paid staff member when she took the job 13 years ago; now she oversees five other paid staffers.
1:15 p.m:
The fiancee of the cameraman who was killed in an on-air attack says her life has been “flipped upside down.”
Melissa Ott was engaged to WDBJ-TV cameraman Adam Ward, who was gunned down alongside reporter Alison Parker on Wednesday morning. Ott, a producer at the station, was in the control room when the shooting happened and saw it unfold.
Ott was slated to soon start work at WSOC-TV, the ABC affiliate in Charlotte, North Carolina. She posted on her Facebook page that her plans, and her life, were now on hold. "Starting new adventures with my fiance, new jobs, a new city. Getting married, having a family, buying a home. That’s now taken. I’m not ok. And I won’t be for a long time,” she said.
She says she is grateful for the outpouring of love and support she has received.
7:40 a.m.
As WDBJ-TV broadcasts its morning show a day after two of its journalists were killed, people are stopping by two colorful memorials outside. WDBJ was in the middle of its “Mornin”’ show on Thursday. During the same show one day earlier, reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward were fatally shot by a former station employee who was fired in 2013. Outside the station, the memorials are growing. They are full of balloons, flowers, candles and other tokens _ even a Virginia Tech sweatshirt, because Ward was an enthusiastic fan. During Thursday’s “Mornin”’ show, WDBJ did at least one interview outside near the memorials. A reporter visiting from a sister station in Missouri to help out spoke with Tim Gardner, husband of Vicki Gardner. She was wounded in the shooting as Parker interviewed her about local tourism. Tim Gardner told viewers that his wife is improving and is in fair condition. Nearby, reporters and trucks from media outlets across the country lined up, doing their own live shots or working on stories about the shooting and the station. Police also kept watch as bystanders walked by or visited the memorials.
6:45 a.m.
WDBJ-TV has observed a moment of silence on air for its two journalists who were killed in a shooting during a live interview. The station marked the moment of silence at 6:45 a.m. Thursday. At that time Wednesday, reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward were killed by a former employee of the Virginia TV station. During the moment of silence, WDBJ showed photos of the two victims during the live broadcast of its “Mornin”’ show. Just before the moment of silence, anchor Kim McBroom joined hands with weatherman Leo Hirsbrunner and anchor Steve Grant, who came in from sister station KYTV in Springfield, Missouri, to help the grieving station.
She said: “Joining hands here on the desk. It’s the only way to do it.”
6:40 a.m.
The family of the gunman who fatally shot a reporter and cameraman during a live broadcast has issued a statement offering condolences to the victims’ loved ones. The statement from the family of Vester Lee Flanagan II, who went by Bryce Williams as an on-air reporter, was read on several TV stations, which said it was released by a family representative. Flanagan killed reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward on Wednesday morning. Vicki Gardner, a local Chamber of Commerce official who was being interviewed live, was wounded. It says: “It is with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we express our deepest condolences to the families of Alison Parker and Adam Ward. We are also praying for the recovery of Vicki Gardner. Our thoughts and prayers at this time are with the victims’ families and the WBDJ7 NEWS family. Words cannot express the hurt that we feel for the victims. Our family is asking that the media respect our privacy.”
1:30 p.m. Wednesday:
41-year-old Vester Lee Flanagan died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a Fairfax, Virginia hospital around 1:30 P.M. According to ABC News, The Virginia State Police spotted his vehicle at 11:30 a.m. and tried to pull him over, but he sped away before his car "ran off the road and crashed." When troopers approached the vehicle, they "found the male driver suffering from a gunshot wound," and he was transported to a nearby hospital, state police said in a Facebook post.
12:35 p.m.
Video of two TV station employees fatally shot on-air early Wednesday shows a fleeting image of a man in black pants and a blue top pointing a gun at the station’s camera.
That image was part of an intense search that followed for a suspect police identified as 41-year-old Vester Lee Flanagan II of Roanoke, who appeared on air at the TV station WDBJ in Virginia as Bryce Williams. The shooting happened Wednesday morning outside a shopping center as a reporter interviewed an employee of the local chamber of commerce. The shooting played out during live TV on the broadcast from the station, WDBJ-TV, based in Roanoke and serving the southwest and central parts of Virginia. Virginia State Police say they found the suspect about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Police say troopers had pursued him on the highway, but he sped away and crashed. Police say he was found with life-threatening injuries.
12:30 p.m.
Virginia State Police say that as they were pursuing the suspect in an on-air fatal shooting, he ran off the road and crashed, and was found suffering from a gunshot wound. Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said Wednesday that the suspect is being treated for life-threatening injuries. The suspect has been identified as 41-year-old Vester Lee Flanagan II of Roanoke, who appeared on air at the TV station WDBJ in Virginia as Bryce Williams. A reporter and cameraman from WDBJ-TV were killed in the incident Wednesday morning. Police say that shortly before 11:30 a.m., they initiated a traffic stop on the suspect vehicle on Interstate 66. Police say the driver refused to stop and sped away from the trooper, but ran off the road and crashed. Police say the troopers approached and found the driver suffering from a gunshot wound, and he is being taken to a hospital.
12:30 p.m.
A Twitter account under an apparent alias of a man suspected of killing a TV reporter and cameraman describes what he claims were workplace conflicts with the pair. The suspect, 41-year-old Vester Flanagan, appeared on air at WDBJ in Virginia under the name Bryce Williams. The tweets posted just hours after the killings of 24-year-old Alison Parker and 27-year-old cameraman Adam Ward claim she made racist comments. The tweets also say Williams filed a report with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and that she was still hired despite that report. The tweets also say Ward reported Williams to human resources after working with him one time. The nature of that complaint was not described.
12:15 p.m.
The Virginia TV station that saw a reporter and cameraman fatally shot in a live broadcast has gone live for its noon broadcast, giving details about the suspect. WDBJ-TV said Wednesday that suspect 41-year-old Vester Lee Flanagan II appeared on air at the station as Bryce Williams. Video of the shooting was posted on the Twitter account and Facebook page of someone under the name Bryce Williams. The video showed an outstretched arm holding the handgun and firing repeatedly at Parker as she tried to run away.
Also, ABC News reported that someone using the name Bryce Williams sent the organization a lengthy fax that it has turned over to authorities. WDBJ-TV general manager Jeffrey A. Marks and an anchor spoke to viewers for the Wednesday broadcast, several hours after the early morning shooting. They told viewers more about the victims _ reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward. They spoke about the victims as family members at the station. Both were dating co-workers.
11:55 a.m.
ABC News says it received a fax from someone who claimed to be Bryce Williams, a person on the staff at the Virginia station that saw two employees fatally shot on air. ABC News says on its website that sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, it received the fax. It describes it as a lengthy document of 23 pages. ABC News says it has turned the document over to authorities. ABC News did not offer any other details. About 6:35 Wednesday morning, a reporter and cameraman were killed while doing a live broadcast outside a shopping center in central Virginia for WDBJ-TV. The shooting was broadcast live. Video of the shooting was later posted on the Twitter account and Facebook page of someone under the name Bryce Williams. The video showed an outstretched arm holding the handgun and firing repeatedly at Parker as she tried to run away.
10:45 a.m.
The general manager of a Virginia TV station that saw a reporter and cameraman fatally shot during a live broadcast says his employees have been told to stay in the building, with police protection. Jeffrey Marks, the president and general manager of WDBJ-TV, said hours after the Wednesday morning shooting that police advised employees to stay inside. He told The Associated Press: “Police have advised us that as long as this person is on the loose, we should stay in the building. We have police protection.” Gov. Terry McAuliffe has said police are pursuing a suspect on the highway. He says authorities believe the suspect is a disgruntled TV station employee. Federal law enforcement is assisting in the manhunt, and federal officials say they have no indication that the shooting was connected to terrorism. Marks says about 50 people work at WDBJ7. He says: “It’s the kind of place where it’s all brothers and sisters. We’re all just real heartbroken.” Marks says a nearby TV station that is normally a competitor is covering other, unrelated news and will share video with the station.
10:30 a.m.
Virginia Gov. McAuliffe says police are chasing the suspect in a fatal on-air shooting, and his arrest is imminent. McAuliffe says on a radio show on WTOP in Virginia that the suspect is believed to be a disgruntled employee of WDBJ-TV. He says police are pursuing the suspect on Interstate 64. Two station employees were killed in the incident Wednesday morning.
10:10 a.m.
A spokesman for the Virginia TV station that saw two of its employees fatally shot on air describes the slain cameraman as WDBJ-TV’s “go-to guy.” WDBJ spokesman Mike Morgan says 27-year-old Adam Ward was engaged to a producer at the station, Melissa Ott. Morgan says Adam had been with the station for four years. Morgan says: “Adam was our go-to guy. He pretty much was available to do anything that we asked. He did live shots during our morning show for several years.” Also killed in the incident _ at 6:45 a.m. at a shopping center overlooking a manmade lake _ was reporter Alison Parker, who was dating the station’s 6 p.m. anchor, Chris Hurst. No suspect has been identified, and no motive is known in the shooting.
10 a.m.
An anchor at the Virginia TV station that saw two of its employees fatally shot on air says he was in love with the reporter who died and that they wanted to get married. Reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward were killed in the Wednesday morning on-air shooting at a shopping center. Anchor Chris Hurst says in tweets that although the two didn’t share their relationship publicly, they were in love and had just moved in together. Hurst tweeted: “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 that Parker “worked with Adam every day. They were a team. I am heartbroken for his fiancee.”
Hurst described the TV station as a family, tweeting: “I am comforted by everyone at (at)WDBJ7.”
9:40 a.m.
After the on-air fatal shooting of two employees of a central Virginia TV station, the general manager appeared on air and called it a terrible crime, saying authorities don’t know who the gunman is. WDBJ-TV general manager Jeffrey A. Marks called the Wednesday morning incident at a shopping center “a terrible crime against two fine journalists.” Marks said on air that neither the station nor officials know the motive for the shooting or any identify of a suspect. He says he has talked with authorities and they are working diligently to find out. In the video of the incident, as the camera falls to the ground, it captures a fleeting image of a man in black pants and a blue top who appears to be holding a handgun.
The station has identified the two killed as reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward. Marks said on air: “I cannot tell you how much they were loved. Alison and Adam.” “Our hearts are broken.”
9:40 a.m.
Video shows the fatal shooting of two TV station employees who were killed in an on-air shooting in central Virginia.
In the video from the Wednesday incident, a female reporter is interviewing someone about tourism on Bridgewater Plaza in Franklin County. She was smiling when suddenly at least eight shots were heard. The camera appeared to be dropped on the ground. The reporter can be heard screaming.
As the camera falls to the ground, it captures a fleeting image of a man in black pants and a blue top who appears to be holding a handgun.
The station then switches back to a shot of an anchor back at the station, who has a shocked expression on her face.
In tweets and on its website, WDBJ-TV identified the two killed as reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward.
The station is based in Roanoke, Virginia, and serves the southwest and central part of the state. The shopping mall where the incident happened is just off Smith Mountain Lake.
Moneta is about 25 miles southeast of Roanoke.
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9:30 a.m.
After the on-air fatal shooting of two TV station employees in central Virginia, a picture of the two victims has started to emerge. WDBJ-TV, based in Roanoke, says reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward were killed in the Wednesday morning shooting at a shopping center on a lake in Moneta. According to the station website, Parker was a morning reporter. She graduated from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and was news editor of its recognized newspaper, The Breeze. She also had been an intern at WDBJ-TV. The TV station also linked to her Facebook page, which says Parker spent most of her live outside Martinsville, Virginia. Parker previously worked at WCTI NewsChannel 12 in Jacksonville, North Carolina, near Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. She was an avid kayaker and attended community theater events in her spare time. The station says Ward was 27 and a graduate of Virginia Tech.
9:25 a.m.
Video shows the fatal shooting of two TV station employees who were killed in an on-air shooting in central Virginia.
In the video from the Wednesday incident, a female reporter is interviewing someone about tourism on Bridgewater Plaza in Franklin County. She was smiling when suddenly at least eight shots were heard. The camera appeared to be dropped on the ground. The reporter can be heard screaming.
The station then switches back to a shot of an anchor back at the station, who has a shocked expression on her face.
In tweets and on its website, WDBJ-TV identified the two killed as reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward.
The station is based in Roanoke, Virginia, and serves the southwest and central part of the state. The shopping mall where the incident happened is just off Smith Mountain Lake.
Moneta is about 25 miles southeast of Roanoke.
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9:20 a.m.
The TV station employees who were killed in an on-air shooting in central Virginia have been identified as a 27-year-old and a 24-year-old. In tweets and on its website, WDBJ-TV identified the two killed Wednesday as Alison Parker and Adam Ward. The station’s website says Ward was 27 and a graduate of Virginia Tech. Parker just turned 24 and attended James Madison University.
In a tweet, the station says “We love you, Alison and Adam.”
It was not clear who the shooter was. The station says in tweets and in a story on its website that the incident happened at a shopping center. The station says law enforcement officials are on the scene.
The station is based in Roanoke, Virginia, and serves the southwest and central part of the state. The shopping mall is just off Smith Mountain Lake.
Moneta is about 25 miles southeast of Roanoke.
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9:15 a.m.
The general manager of a TV station in Virginia says two crew members were fatally shot on air in central Virginia.
Jeffrey A. Marks, general manager of WDBJ-TV, identified the two killed as Alison Parker and Adam Ward.
The station says in tweets and in a story on its website that the incident happened Wednesday morning at a shopping center. The station says law enforcement officials are on the scene.
The station is based in Roanoke, Virginia, and serves the southwest and central part of the state. The shopping mall is just off Smith Mountain Lake.
Moneta is about 25 miles southeast of Roanoke.
(C) ABC News 2015
