Today, the suspect died in fairfax, nova hospital in Northern Virginia as a result of a selfinflibblingted gunshot wound. Flanagan sent a lengthy multipage fax to a National News organization in new york about this incident, and our investigators now have a copy of it and its used in the course of this investigation ill be continuing. Laura Cathy Clifford has the report. Cathy it was a live morning report. 24yearold reporter Alison Parker was interviewing a woman at a shopping center. All of a sudden shots and screams were heard as the two women ducked for cover. The cameraman catched the gunmans face on camera. Soon after they announced the two employees had been killed in the attack, and the interviewee was injured. A manhunt began for the suspect, former employee at the station identified as vester flanagan. Hed been fired from the channel two years ago. He was sort of looking out for people to say things that he could take offense to. Eventually after many incidents of his anger co
Both were in relationships with colleagues at the station. Alisons boyfriend and anchor christ hurst tweeting 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. One other person was shot in the incident and is in the hospital. The fbi is helping local Law Enforcement with the investigation. Out of an abundance of caution, the nypd is increasing security outside of tv stations here in new york city including wabcment police have identified the person of interest as Vester Flanagan. He is a former reporter at that tv station that went by the professional name Bryce Williams. On top of that, sometime between last night and this morning abc news received a fax from someone who says he is Bryce Williams. It is a lengthy document, 23 pages long. The network turned the document over to authorities. More disturbing than that, Bryce Williams as apparently posting to facebook and twitter including a video
Newsroom in a document faxed to abc news this morning after the shootings, flanagan blamed his rage on racism and on bully because he was gay. He called himself a human powder keg just waiting to go boom. It was about 6 45 this morning when 24yearold reporter Alison Parker and 27yearold photographer adam ward were simply doing their jobs, conducting a live interview for the morning news for station wdbj. Thats when the gunman struck, parker screaming as she tried to run and wards camera falling to the ground but still managing to of the suspect. We have learned that flanagan was a disgruntled former reporter for the station who went by the name Bryce Williams. He had been fired two years ago and was described as difficult to work with. This is an individual who came to work for us as a reporter and about two years ago im thinking we had to separate him from the company. Reporter we have also learned this afternoon that flanagan sent a 23 page fax to abc news two hours after the shootin
Stunningly posted horrific video of the attack which we will not show. He sent a 23 page document to abc news saying the Charleston Church massacre had stoked his rage and bullying he faced because he was a gay black man. Parker and ward were natives of the roanoke area and worked together about a year. They were young and in rips with coworkers, only deepening a tragedy that has shaken their newsroom. You can hear people behind us in the newsroom crying. Its just really hard to its hard to comprehend. During the shootings, wards camera fell on its side but still captured this haunting image of the shooter gun in hand. The woman being interviewed by alison, Vicky Gardner was shot during the incident but is out of surgery and in stable condition. Abc news has talked to robert avon, his former roommate from 2006 to 12 00. He texted with flanagan minutes after the shooting. Rob says flanagan, known to say odd things admitted to shooting two people and says flanagan was on the phone with h
Former reporter who went by Bryce Williams became the focus of the manhunt. He tweeted i filmed the shooting, see facebook. It is no longer posted. Troopers giving chase saw the car crash after he apparently shot himself. He died approximately 1 30 p. M. Today. Reporter flanagan previously posted a resume reel on his you tube page that began with him holding a gun working at the same station of the victims had a reputation of being difficult to work with. We had to separate him from the company. And we did understand that he was still living in the area. Occasionally he would run into people from our company. Reporter abc news also reports it received a 23 page fax from flanagan listing grievances that he suffered from Racial Discrimination and bullying from work and he talked about how he was attacked for being a gay black man. Goes to show where the gentlemans mind was the night before or taking place there that there was forethought given as to the chain of events that would happen.