also knew alison. this could have happened to any of journalists working out in the field doing what we love to do every day. what was she like? she was just. we she was a light. great spirit. she would crack jokes. it s funny. she was a skinny girl but she loved to eat. she always loved jimmy johns and there was an ice cream shop that was probably like a block or two from the station and in between newscasts a group of us we would walk to go get ice cream and just talk about our future and our dreams and our goals. and, you know, just talk to each other and just, you know, have that bond, that camaraderie. do you know what her dreams and ambitions were, what she wanted to do with her life? she was doing it. you know, she was from martinsville and in the roanoke area. she grew up watching wdbj,
who were just out doing their job today, covering a story. doing their job. that was general manager jeffrey marks at wdbj this morning following the news. all right, more now on what we know at this moment as we follow breaking news from virginia, where state police report the suspect in the deadly shooting of a news reporter and her photographer live on the air this morning has shot himself. the suspect is in critical condition. we should say that again, he s in critical condition. i m joined now by lenny depaul, a retired chief inspector and commander with the u.s. marshal service. lenny, thank you so much for being on the show with us. you re welcome. a situation like this, that plays out on live television, where the last act of the photographer, adam ward, was to capture an image of this suspect, what do authorities do with the information when it plays out so publicly and so many people are in some sense almost witnesses? well, first of all, luke, my
20-somethings who wanted to do everything they can to get the story and be the best they can on the air and learn and come to any hour of the day or night to cover a story and just that motivation and determination to do a great job. and they always had fun together. chris said something to me today in the newsroom. he said alison brought out this side of me you normally he don t show. like she drug him along to a pint night, for example, those nights where people go to a restaurant and they do a painting, something he ordinarily wouldn t do. she got him into heeking and kayaking and just kind of the silly, fun side of him. and he i think we re all in shock. he is certainly in shock. he was in the newsroom for several hours this morning waiting to get the clearance to leave because in the morning hours we were all told not to leave the television station because there was a threat that a gunman was out there, potentially targeting others of us that work at wdbj 7. so a huge loss. hug
our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of alison parker and the family of adam ward and to the family of wdbj, wdbj channel 7 is one of the big cbs affiliates in the country, and it s a great station here in our region, and so when we see these folks on tv, they become part of our life, and, of course, for me, yeah, i had just seen alison within the last couple of weeks, so they cover us in local government here in our region of virginia. you know, i see these pictures of the two of them and i love their smiles and as someone who is a reporter in virginia just a couple hours from you makes me heart smile to see how much they really enjoy their jobs and for people who don t realize who some of the smaller communities are like, and roanoke isn t that small,
went to salem high school. both of these homegrown right here in virginia and just devastating for anybody who knew them. hallie jackson, nbc news. thank you so much for that reporting. follow her reports throughout the day from moneta, virginia. that does it for this edition of andrea mitchell reports. before we go, here s a quick recap of what we know about the devastating shooting of two journalists in virginia this morning. wdbj reporter alison parker and photographer adam ward were fatally shot at 6:45 a.m. during a live broadcast at moneta, virginia. vester flanagan, using the name bryce williams, was a disgruntled former reporter at the station. following a police chase williams shot himself and is in critical condition. one other person, vicki gardner, from the local chamber of commerce, was shot and injured. she was being interviewed. thankfully, she is in stable condition after emergency surgery. msnbc live with thomas roberts is next. thank you for your time on this terr