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Two Virginia television journalists fatally shot in on-air attack[READ OP]

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C

chadskin

Member
MOD NOTE: Don't post the killer's version of the video, please. It's out there if you feel the need to see it, but don't link it here.


alison-adam-jpg.jpg


A television reporter and a cameraman were shot and killed during a live broadcast in Virginia on Wednesday in an attack authorities said was carried out by a former employee of the TV station.

The suspect, 41-year-old Vester Flanagan, shot himself several hours later as police pursued him on a Virginia highway. He died later at the hospital, police said.

Social media postings by a person who appeared to be Flanagan indicated the suspect had grievances against the station, CBS affiliate WDBJ7 in Roanoke, Virginia, which let him go two years ago. The person also posted video that appeared to show the attack filmed from the shooter's vantage point.

Flanagan was apparently "disturbed in some way" over something that had happened in his life, said Franklin County Sheriff Bill Overton.

The WDBJ7 journalists who were killed were reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27. The woman being interviewed on the morning news program was wounded.

The on-air shooting occurred at about 6:45 a.m. EDT (1045 GMT) at Bridgewater Plaza, a Smith Mountain Lake recreation site about 200 miles (320 km) southwest of Washington, D.C.
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Hours after the shooting, someone claiming to have filmed it posted video online. The videos were posted to a Twitter account and on Facebook by a man identifying himself as Bryce Williams, which was Flanagan's on-air name.

The videos were removed shortly afterward. One video clearly showed a handgun as the person filming approached the woman reporter.

The person purporting to be Williams also posted, "I filmed the shooting see Facebook" as well as saying one of the victims had "made racist comments." Flanagan was black and the victims in Wednesday's shooting were white.
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Flanagan shot himself as Virginia State Police were closing in on a rental car on Interstate 66 in Fauquier County, WDBJ7 said. Virginia state police said the suspect refused to stop when spotted by troopers and sped away.

Minutes later, the suspect's vehicle ran off the road and crashed, police said in a statement, adding the troopers approached the vehicle and found the driver with a gunshot wound. He was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital near Washington, D.C., where he died.
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ABC News reported on its website it received a 23-page fax from someone saying he was Bryce Williams some time between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The network turned the fax over to authorities, it said, without giving details on its contents.

WDBJ7 President and General Manager Jeff Marks said he could not figure out a particular connection between Flanagan and the two dead journalists.

Speaking to CNN about Flanagan, he added, "Do you imagine that everyone who leaves your company under difficult circumstances is going to take aim?"

"Why were they (Parker and Ward) the targets, and not I or somebody else in management?" he said.
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The station described the two dead journalists as an ambitious reporter-and-cameraman team who often produced light and breezy feature stories for the morning program.

"I cannot tell you how much they were loved," Marks said.

They were both engaged to be married to other people at the station.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/26/us-usa-shooting-virginia-idUSKCN0QV1HY20150826

Video of the broadcast (disturbing, but not graphic): http://gawker.com/gunman-fires-shots-at-virginia-news-crew-during-live-re-1726593659
 
B

BertramCooper

Banned
Saw the headline "US TV journalists shot dead on air" pop up on my Facebook feed from BBC a couple minutes ago and assumed it was in Syria or something.

Nope. Right here in America.
 
G

gdt

Member
What in the fuck.

Did the gunman try to rob their equipment or something? Apparently that's been going on a lot more recently.
 
U

U2NUMB

Member
This is either CRAZY levels of random or there is some history here. Either way just horrible RIP to those 2...

Also I have 2 employees in that county right now visiting one of our plants... thats how I heard about it.
 
T

TS-08

Member
There is a video of the attack in many news sources out there. I watched it not knowing the exact details (I assumed the shots were somewhere in the area and reactions were just captured on film) and before their deaths were announced. The video isn't graphic, but it is tough to watch because you can tell they are being shot at close range and are crying out in pain and shock. I think you even see a glimpse of the shooter pointing his gun after the camera hits the ground. It's really hitting me hard now that I know two of them were killed. Simply horrible and tragic.
 
F

Fitzy

Member
This is my local news station....Had it on the tv when it happened and everything. Its incredibly awful. RIP.
 
Z

Zeus Molecules

illegal immigrants are stealing our air
Man they got to catch that guy ASAP. If he's willing to shoot those two while their on TV he just does not give a fuck and will likely attack others soon.
 
A

Arkeband

Banned
These video links should probably be tagged or something, you're literally watching people be shot to death and they're screaming oh my god.

I probably didn't need to see that, based on your descriptions of "non-graphic" I was expecting something a little more indirect.
 
J

Jintor

Member
fuck. shit. i was desperately hoping this was some 'virtual world' mmo reporting clickbait or some shit.

goddamnit. rip.

catch the fucker.
 
Hoya Destroyer

Hoya Destroyer

Member
That is shocking footage. So I take it the lady who was being interviewed survived? I hope so. What kind of psycho does something like that?
 
L

lamaroo

Unconfirmed Member
I assume the woman being interviewed lived as she's not mentioned in any of the articles.

Hopefully they catch this guy quickly, rip to the victims.
 
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