The news of a reporter and her cameraman being shot dead while doing a live TV report is understandably everywhere right now.
The news reporter, Alison Parker, and her cameraman, Adam Ward, were filming a live TV link for WDBJ, when they were shot dead from close range.
The alleged shooter went by the name of Vester Lee Flanagan, a 41 year old that had previously worked for the TV station, before being sacked a few weeks ago.
The video footage is horrific, and was broadcasting live at the time. The camera pans to Alison Parker, before several shots are heard, and screaming, before the camera drops to the ground, and the feed cuts back to the news studio.
Flanagan was going by the name Bryce Williams, and after the shooting he posted a sickening video of the incident from his perspective, that he had recorded himself. It looked like something from an FPS video game. When he got to the scene, the camera was pointed away from the reporter, and he waited until it panned back before opening fire.
Two hours after the shooting, he sent a fax to ABC, with 23 pages detailing his ‘grievances’, stating that the Charlestown shooting triggered him to go out and buy a gun, before going on to commend the Virginia Tech killer, refers to Seung Hui Cho as ‘his boy’, and expresses admiration for the Columbine Killers. He also rang ABC trying to get them to meet him because he had a big story, but wouldn’t tell them what it was.
Police officers and Flanagan ended up embroiled in a high speed chase, hundreds of miles away from where the shooting originally occurred, and it only ended when the killer turned the gun on himself. He was airlifted to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The incident has shocked millions of people worldwide, because of the senseless and barbaric nature of it.
The young reporter, Alison Parker, was just 24, and had not long moved into a house with her boyfriend from the same news broadcaster. Camera man Adam Ward was only 27, and also in a relationship with somebody from the station.
Alison’s partner, Chris Hurst took to Twitter.
I am comforted by everyone at @WDBJ7. We are a family. She worked with Adam every day. They were a team. I am heartbroken for his fiancee.
— Chris Hurst (@ChrisHurstVA) August 26, 2015
Our condolences go out to the friends and families of the victims.
