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Terrifying is what most people are describing it as. The pictures that unfolded, live on air from Roanoke Virginia were hard to comprehend.
A former co-worker of Virginia morning show reporter Alison Parker, and her cameraman Adam Ward, pulled a gun and shot both dead. He also wounded their interview subject, Vicki Gardner.
Parker was 24. Ward was 27.
Ward’s fiancee, the producer of the show, saw the shooting, as it happened. So did Sheriff Bill Overton, who was watching the broadcast, and would soon be in charge of the case.
“I couldn’t even understand myself, what was happening at this time.”
As shocking as that was, what followed was worse. The gunman posted two videos of the executions, that he recorded as he shot his victims. The gunman, identified as Vester Flanagan, and known by his on air name: Bryce Williams, had a history of employment problems with other TV stations. WDBJ fired him in February 2013.
As he fled, Flanagan began to send out live Tweets about the shooting.
He accused Parker of racism, and complained that Ward reported him to station management.
Last night, he sent a 23 page fax to ABC news, indicating he was enraged by the shootings of black worshippers at a Charleston church, in June.
In the document were the following quotes:
“Why did I do it? I put down a deposit for a gun on 6/19/15. The Church shooting in Charleston happened on 6/17/15…”
“What sent me over the top was the church shooting. And my hollow point bullets have the victims’ initials on them.”
Police have seized the manifesto, as evidence that Flanagan had planned the shooting, in advance.
Nearly 5 hours later police spotted Flanagan’s grey Mustang, at the Roanoke Viriginia airport. They discovered that he’d rented a car, earlier this month, more evidence of advanced planning. That car was heading east, on Interstate highway 66. It was identified, pursued, lost control and crashed.
Police say they found Flanagan inside the wreck, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He died in hospital, a short time later.
