sister station in springfield, missouri. thank you for being with us. >> thank you, jen. the best prayers and best wishes of all of the folks of southwest missouri and northwest arkansas to the wdbj 7 and roanoke area. our hearts are broken with the viewers. we are here to help you get through this. >> we need everyone's help and love and support. >> all right. this morning, law enforcement officials across the state are continuing to piece together the information about what happened. it started all on the air as a story about the 50th anniversary of smith mountain lake. police say vester flanigan is a former wdbj reporter who went by bryce williams on the air. the sheriff's office says he left the lake area and rented a car and headed north on highway 81. a license plate reader on the virginia state police car spotted the vehicle. he led troopers on a cahase. he was dead at the hospital yesterday afternoon. flanigan was fired from wdbj? 2013. the general manager has described him as an unhappy man and difficult to work with. flanigan sent a long manifesto to abc news headquarters over racial bias and mass killings. he described himself as a powder keg ready to go boom. >> many of you are helping us honor alison and adam. many gathered for a prayer vigil organized by the community church in salem. people said they never thought anything like this could happen. >> i could not believe it. i cannot believe it. we are all -- our world is changing a lot. it saddens me. >> it's tragic. i don't really know what else. i know that i want to do something. i want to help. i just sometimes -- you don't know what to do. so you pray. you are there. >> the community church plans to hold a prayer service for alison and adam on sunday at 11:00. church members also gather to pray at the westlake town center last night. a small crowd lit candles and sang songs remembering the victims of the shooting. candles were placed on the grounds in the shape of a heart and people read prayers allowed. >> we live in a broken world. people who are going to do things that are bad and wrong and it hits home knowing that will happen, but not expecting it to happen in your back yard. >> more people gathered to pray for vicki gardner, the woman who survived the shooting. the pastor said her friends attend this church. they wanted to open their faith to everyone. >> i'm quoted from the gospel where jesus was on the lake of galilee and a storm arose and he calmed the storm and how in the midst of a loss like this, we feel we are in the storm and jesus says peace be still and be calm in the midst of the difficulty that we're experiencing. >> gardner is a parishioner at the catholic church in moneta. >> a prayer warriors and representatives plan to lead prayer groups for d.c. tourists. you can also sign a card that the group plans to send to the station. >> we got condolences in all forms of flowers and notes and facebook messages and social media. people are offering thoughts and prayers. we are going to turnover to meteorologist leo hurst. okay, you have been watching cnn affiliate wdbj. this has been pretty hard on them. this is the first morning back on the air after two journalists who worked at that station were shot and killed on live tv yesterday by a former employee of the station. alison parker's grieving father paying tribute to his daughter last night where he praised her finest qualities and conveyed a passionate message about gun regulations. >> she lived a great life. she excelled at everything she did. she loved what she did. she loved the people that she worked with. she was happy with her place in life. so, you know, we can only take some solace in the fact she had a wonderful life. she was extremely happy. she loved this guy with all her heart. that's the toughest thing for me. everybody that she touched loved her and she loved everybody back. you know, i'm not going to let this issue drop. this is, you know, we have to do something about crazy people getting guns. >> this is so hard to watch him struggle to get through that. the gunman's family in northern california seeking privacy this morning and seeking condolences. she calls the shooting quote a shock to everyone. >> it is with heavy hearts and deep sadness we express our deepest condolences to the families of alison parker and adam ward. we are praying for the recovery of vicki gardner. our thoughts and prayers at this time are with the victims' families and with wdbj television station family. >> president obama calls the shooting of the two journalists heart breaking. he is calling congress to stop the bottleneck on the legislation. >> we know the number of people who die from gun related incidents around this country dwarfs any deaths that happen through terrorism. we are willing to spend trillions of dollars to prevent terrorist activities, but we have not been willing so far at least, to impose some common sense gun safety measures that could save lives. >> now the tragedy in roanoke is igniting the gun debate on the campaign trail. hillary clinton calling on congress to come up with legislation to tighten restrictions without infringing on the rights of americans. marco rubio claims there is no need for it. >> it is not crazy people. it is the violent people. it is not the guns. it's the people. here's the problem i have. first of all, the second amendment is in the constitution. i did not write the constitution, but i support it. the second amendment is an important part of the constitution. >> there is so much evidence if guns were not so readily available and if we had universal background checks, we could prevent this kind of carnage. >> most of the republican candidates tweeted condolences to those who knew and loved alison and adam without commenting on gun control. >> we will continue to have the latest on the story all morning long. first, vice president joe biden opening up about the possibility he could run for president next. are incredibly good for you. because they're heart healthy because they're good for kids. and granddads and everyone else in the family. everything we do is because of what really matters most. the goodness of oats and the people we love. it wouland it turned onif you turned oeverywhere else.ne room but that's exactly how traditional cooling and heating systems work. so you pay more than you should. but mitsubishi electric systems give you a better way... with no waste and lower energy bills. control temperatures precisely in one or every room ... ...with no new ductwork. so everyone can enjoy ultimate personal comfort. mitsubishi electric cooling and heating. make comfort personal. no sixth grader's ever sat with but your jansport backpack is permission to park it wherever you please. hey. that's that new gear feeling. this week, these folders just one cent. office depot officemax. gear up for school. gear up for great. with roots touch-up gefrom nice'n easy.our roots seamlessly blends with leading shades, even salon shades in just 10 minutes. for natural looking color as real as you are. show the world your roots with root touch-up. when you have a migraine, you'll reach for anything to make the pain go away. truth is, most pain relievers don't work like excedrin migraine. it relieves my pain starting in 30 minutes. that's fast! plus, sensitivity to light and sound. excedrin migraine. wow, that was fast. vice president joe biden has been talking to key democrats about a possible 2016 run for the presidency. on tuesday, he addressed the issue with the dnc. meantime, hillary clinton is weighing in on a potential biden candidacy. we get more from joe johns in iowa. >> reporter: alison and miguel, vice president biden giving members of the democratic national convention just a glimpse of his deliberations into whether he will run for president. on a conference call to members of the committee to try to convince them to get behind the iran nuclear deal, the question and answer period quickly turned to politics with biden telling members of the committee that before he decides to run he has to conclude he can put his heart and soul into the race. >> if i were to announce to run, i have to commit to all of you that i would be able to give it my whole heart and my whole soul. right now, both are pretty well banged up. we are trying to figure out that issue. >> reporter: at a campaign event in iowa, hillary clinton responding to all of the buzz about biden with some deeply personal remarks. referencing the fact that the biden family is going through the grief process after the death of beau biden in may. >> i want him to reach whatever the right decision is and he has to do that. it has to be a really, really hard one. i was at his son's funeral. i cannot even imagine the grief and heart break. joe has had more terrible events than most people can even contemplate. losing his first wife. losing his first daughter. now losing his son. i think everybody should -- he has to do what he has to do. i'm just going to continue with my campaign. i'm going to do what i believe i should be doing and he will have to decide what he should be doing. >> reporter: sources have said the vice president is likely to make his decision in the coming weeks in the run-up to the first democratic debate. miguel. hillary clinton admits she understands why people question her use of the private e-mail server when she was secretary of state. she says she is taking responsibility for a decision that quote wasn't the best choice. clinton says she is confident she never sent or received classified e-mail on her account. acknowledges she should have used government servers for official business. donald trump ending one feud and trumping up another. he is ending the feud with fox news. trump is suggesting he will end the negative tweets about megyn kelly. he insists he will continue with the jorge ramos. he admits that ramos was ranting and raving like a mad man. >> the problem is he is not used to be questioned. he doesn't like uncomfortable questions. he hates it when he is being confronted. we have to ask those questions. >> ramos says he believes trump is selling hate. time for an early start on your money. so far it is shares are up. so far it is shanghai's benchmark up 5.3% today after it tumbled 15% earlier in the week. european shares are in the green. here in the u.s., stock futures are climbing. looks like we will see it continue to rebound. yesterday the dow climbed 619 points. the gains were broad based which is a good sign with tech companies leading the way. we saw google and netflix and amazon soaring around 8%. it is an uphill battle, but fire crews are fighting the biggest ever recorded wildfire. the okanogan fire has grown to 450 square miles. at least 80 homes and other structures have been damaged. help from the weather cannot come soon enough for firefighters in the northwest. for the latest on that, let's bring in meteorologist pedram javaheri. >> good morning, alison and miguel. we have some changes in the forecast for the northwestern side of the country as impulses bringing in heavy rainfall for this time of year. some of the best bet for rainfall in parts of the western side of the country. especially in northern and western washington. 2 to 4 inches. working to western oregon with 1 to 2 inches with tremendous fire. the rainfall will be on the lesser side. less than 1 inch. better than recent weeks. how about the nice conditions across the midwest. high pressure large and in charge. generally clear skies. temperatures on the mild to cool side. thunderstorms abound round the southeast. mostly sunny skies in the deep south. we are watching tropical storm erika in the leeward island. this brings in heavy rainfall in the next couple of days. as we head into friday, saturday and sunday, the models in the last couple hours are bett better alignment for the eastern side of florida. could get to category one. if it it impacts the u.s., it would be the first hurricane to make landfall since arthur in 2014. a bit of a hurricane drought for the country. you look at highs. san francisco in the 80s and new york at 82 degrees. the sports world paying tribute to the two journalists gunned down in roanoke, virginia. coy wire has the details in the bleacher report next. if your purse is starting to look more like a tissue box... you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin®. because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. zyrtec®. muddle no more™ . did you know that meeting your daily protein needs actually helps to support your muscle health? boost® high protein nutritional drink can help you get the protein you need. each serving has 15 grams of protein to help maintain muscle, plus 26 vitamins and minerals including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones. boost® high protein is the #1 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tributes to the wdbj shooting victims pour in, the sports world is honoring them as well. >> we have coy wire in the bleacher report this morning. >> good morning to you. the washington nationals and salem red sox are two of the teams that honored the victims. they did so last night. fans and players at the nationals game. >> during this difficult time. >> now fans and players at the national as game rose to their feet honored adam ward and alison parker with the moment of silence. the salem red sox painted a blue ribbon and number 7 on the field. the number of the tv station for whom the victims work. prayers continue for the victims and families. in nfl news, a grand jury charged ahmad brooks with sexual battery. a woman claims she was assaulted by him. if convicted, he will face up to six months in jail. his future remains uncertain. brooks will not participate in saturday's game. the grand jury also indicted ray mcdonald of raping of same woman at the same party. mcdonald, who is not on an nfl team, is facing up to eight years in prison. on to the track where the battle for the world's fastest man continues today. usain bolt faces off at the world championship. he is ready to show it off. in the next heat, gatlin posted the third fastest time of the year. pretty impressive. especially seeing he actually slowed down before the finish. a few days ago, bolt edged gatlin out. today's race could be as close. on to some fun finish here. the football players at smu had a little fun with the special guest yesterday. former president george w. bush stopped by to send time with the guys. he joked around and laughed at the play card that featured his picture. bush gave the team a little presidential pep talk. check it out. >> we're going to look forward to seeing you play. looks like a fairly tough schedule to open up. you can kick their [ bleep ]. have fun doing it. >> guys, smu said in the tweet, when the first fan speaks, you listen. the team opens up with baylor. they are ranked number four in the country. we will see if they can indeed do what the president thinks they can do. >> what were they beeping out? >> i want to know what the beep was, coy. >> i'll go back and do some lip reading for you. >> thank you, coy. back to this top story we have been reporting. two journalists murdered live on tv. new information about the gunman as the community mourns the lives lost. moms knowafter brushing, mouths often need a helping hand. listerine® total care helps prevent cavities, strengthens teeth and restores tooth enamel. it's an easy way to give listerine® total care to the total family. listerine® total care. one bottle, six benefits. power to your mouth™. and for kids starting at age six, listerine® smart rinse delivers extra cavity protection after brushing. when you're not confident you have complete visibility into your business, it can quickly become the only thing you think about. that's where at&t can help. at&t's innovative solutions connect machines and people... to keep your internet of things in-sync, in real-time. leaving you free to focus on what matters most. murdered on live television. new information this morning about the gunman who killed two young journalists. the note he left behind and the renewed debate of gun control. welcome back to "early start." i'm miguel marquez. >> i'm alison kosik. it is 5:30 in east coast. we are getting the motives of the gunman who killed two journalists and injured a woman. bryce williams faxed a 22-page suicide note to abc news. now in this note, he details a long list of grievances. flanigan, an african-american, also points to the charleston church massacre as a spark for his crime. in the note, he writes the church shooting was the tipping point. my anger has been building steadily. i have been a human powder keg for a while. he claims he had been the target of racism in the workplace and previous employers blocked him from getting a new job. writing, i tried to pull myself up by the bootstraps, but the damage was already done. when somebody gets to this point, there is nothing to be said or done to change their happiness. meds, no, it's too much. for more on the shooting, let's bring in cnn's brian todd in roanoke, virginia. >> reporter: alison and miguel, we have information on the shooter's movements from early wednesday morning. he left from this location and drove northwest to the roanoke regional airport where he switched cars. he drove 200 miles up i-81 to route 66. he was heading to washington when a state 66. he was heading to washington when a state trooper spotted him and spotted the vehicle through through the lefused to stop. he went off the road and it was then that they observed he had self inflicted gunshot wound. he died a couple hours after that. investigators tracked his movements through his cell phone. we have new threads of the investigation into his past. i talked to two people who worked with the shooter vester flanigan. one is wdbj here in roanoke and another worked with him at wtoc in savannah, georgia. both of the former employees told me he was a troubled employee and had trouble getting along with people. he was struggling as a reporter. we know he was fired from wdbj for performance related issues. one of the former employees said on the day he was fired, they had to bring in police to escort him out. he made threats and he was agitated. some members of the news staff had to actually evacuate the building and go on lockdown at that time. we also found out that in the year 2000 he filed a lawsuit against another former station of his. wtwc in tallahassee, florida. that lawsuit alleged racist mistreatment directed toward him. he alleged he was called a "monkey" by an executive proper du producer at the station. that was settled out of court. clearly this man was a disgruntled former employee. including the one here where the two deceased journalists worked. alison and miguel. turning attention to the victims of the disturbing act. alison parker and adam ward and vicki gardner, being interviewed for the early morning show. the pair always maintained a cheerful can-do attitude. >> if i walked in the building in the morning and i saw alison or adam first, i knew i was in for smiles. they had a great attitude. it showed in their work. adam was always willing to do whatever extra was needed. even at the end of the long shift after being up at 3:00 a.m. alison would get involved in any project. she was showing solid growth as a reporter and occasionally as an anchor. >> now for more on the three victims, let's turn to cnn's victor blackwell, also in roanoke. >> reporter: alison, miguel, understandably the team at wdbj is heart broken this morning. their first morning in a while without waking up with the "a" team as they called them. alison parker and adam ward. the reporter and photographer who worked the morning shift. we know alison parker just turned 24 years old. she graduated from james madison university in 2012. worked in north carolina for a bit. returned home to southwest virginia. she grew up about 50 miles outside of roanoke. her colleagues said she was living her dream. now one part of parker's life that viewers learned about yesterday was that she was also dating one of the anchors there as wdbj. chris hurst. he sent this out. she was the most radiant woman i ever met. for some reason, she loved me back. we have learned that adam ward was in love with someone at the station. ev engaged to the morning show producer. his fiancee was producing the morning show at the time he was killed on live tv. he was determined to put smiles on other faces as well. now let's talk about the survivor. the survivor. vicki gardner. this community that she loves so much. she is a wife, mother, grandmother and artist. we got this message from her employer late yesterday. they say they are confident she will recover and they will stand strong with her through this. miguel, alison. alison parker's grieving father paid tribute to his daughter last night with a tv appearance which he praised her finest qualities and conveyed a passionate message about gun regulation. >> she lived a great life. she did a lot of stuff. she excelled at everything she did. she loved what she did. she loved the people that she worked with. she was happy with her place in life. so you know we can only take some solace in the fact she had a wonderful life. she was extremely happy and she loved this guy with all her heart. that's the toughest thing for me. everybody that she touched loved her and she loved everybody back and you know i'm not going to let this issue drop. we have to do something about crazy people getting guns. >> to watch that father struggle through that. the gunman's family in california is seeking privacy, but expressing condolences for the victims' families. a family friend calls the shooting a shock to everyone. >> it is with heavy hearts and deep sadness, we express our condolences to the families of alison parker and adam ward. we are praying for the recovery of vicki gardner. our thoughts and prayers are with the victims' families. president obama calling the shooting of the two virginia journalists heart breaking. he is challenging lawmakers to end the bottleneck on gun control and insisting americans need to keep the pressure on. >> we know that the number of people who die from gun related incidents around this country dwarfs any deaths that happen through terrorism. we are willing to spend trillions of dollars to prevent terrorist activities, but we have not been willing, so far, at least, to impose common sense gun safety measures that could save lives. >> and we'll continue to cover the latest of the on air murder of the journalists all morning long. first, will he? will biden run? the vice president on the record about the possibility he'll enter the race for president. next. if you have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. isn't 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2016 run for the presidency. on tuesday, he addressed the issue with the members of the dnc. meantime, the frontrunner for the democratic nomination hillary clinton is weighing in on the potential biden candidacy. we get more from joe johns in iowa. >> reporter: alison and miguel, vice president biden giving members of the democratic national convention a glimpse in whether he will run for president. on the conference call to members of the committee to convince them to get behind the iran nuclear deal, the question and answer period turned to politics. he said he has to conclude he has put his heart and soul into the race. >> if i were to announce to run, i would have to commit to all of you i would give it my whole heart and whole soul. right now, both are banged up. we are trying to figure out that issue. >> reporter: meanwhile, at a campaign event here in iowa, hillary clinton responding to all of the buzz about joe biden with deeply personal remarks. referencing the fact that the biden family is still going through the grief process after the death of beau biden in may. >> i want him to make the decision which is best for him. he has to do that. it has to be a really hard one. i was at his son's funeral. i cannot even imagine the grief and the heart break. joe has had more terrible events than most people can even contemplate. losing his first wife. losing his first daughter. now losing his son. i think everybody should -- he has to do what he has to do. i'm just going to continue with my campaign. i'm going to do what i believe i should be doing and he will have to decide what he should be doing. >> reporter: sources have said the vice president is likely to make his decision in the coming weeks in the run-up to the first democratic debate. miguel and alison. let's take a look at what is coming up on "new day." chris cuomo joins us live from roanoke where the two reporters were viciously shot and killed. chris. >> good morning, alison, miguel. we are in front of wdbj. a cnn affiliate. there is a growing memorial and sense of loss for the journalists killed. executed, really, on live tv. this growing sense of loss here is deepening for this community for this news family. that is what they are calling the station here. for the families of those who lost their lives. for vicki gardner. there is hope for her recovery. we are learning about them and what made them special. so young and an affect on the community. we are learning about what made this mad man do what he did. our focus is going to be on lives taken. we will hear from the people who knew them best. the man who loved alison parker. a fellow anchor of hers. the news manager who is dealing with all this. we will talk about this for the larger discussion. on that topic, we will have donald trump. he is running for president. what does he want to talk about this morning? how does he see this? this is a time for leadership at a time when we figure out who our country's next leader will be. the situation with jorge ramos. we will take on the story and how it is reverberating across >> chris, you are covering so many things. i can see it on your face and in your voice. we look forward to watching the show. thanks. two people including a police officer killed. a s.w.a.t. team standoff turning deadly. details on that next. 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(music) hotels.com. they don't need me right now. you forgot the milk! that's lactaid. right. 100% real milk, just without the lactose. so you can drink all you want... ...with no discomfort? exactly. here, try some... mmm, it is real milk. see? delicious. hoof bump! oh. right here girl, boom. lactaid®. 100% real milk. no discomfort. and for a creamy and delicious treat, try lactaid® ice cream. one man under arrest this morning, accused of killing a police officer responding to a 911 call in sunset, louisiana. authorities say he also stabbed three women, killing one of them. the suspect henry riley crashed his car after driving off and barricaded himself inside. >> they stacked up at the door. up with guy used tear gas. a flash bang went off. >> this officer basically raised me. i have seen this officer for years. he has been part of the police station for years. he would motivate me in sports and band. great guy. >> police identified the slain officer as henry nelson. shameika johnson died of stab wounds. two others are in serious condition. 12 life terms plus 3,318 years. colorado movie theater gunman sentenced to the maximum for murdering 12 people and wounding 70 others in 2012. survivors and victims' family members cheered at the court made no effort to hide his contempt for holmes. saying get the defendant out of my courtroom. closing arguments sell for today in the new hampshire trial of owen labrie. he is accused of raping a student. testifying wednesday, labrie told jurors the encounter with the then 15-year-old girl was consensual, but did not include intercourse. the prosecutors say this was part of the tradition known as senior salute. the school is famous as alma mater of congress members and nobel prize winners and secretary of state john kerry. uphill battle to stop the fires raging in washington and including the biggest ever. the okanogan fire has grown to 450 square miles. at least 80 moment 0 homes have destroyed. reigniting the gun control debate as the biggest retailer makes a big move. that's next. big day? ah, the usual. moved some new cars. hauled a bunch of steel. kept the supermarket shelves stocked. made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. what's up for the next shift? ah, nothing much. just keeping the lights on. (laugh) nice. doing the big things that move an economy. see you tomorrow, mac. see you tomorrow, sam. just another day at norfolk southern. no sixth grader's ever sat with but your jansport backpack is permission to park it wherever you please. hey. that's that new gear feeling. this week, these folders just one cent. office depot officemax. gear up for school. gear up for great. i'm alison kosik. let's get an early start on your money. stocks are looking great around the world actually. the shanghai benchmark index up 5.3% today after tumbling more than 15% earlier in the week and sending marketing in panic mode. u.s. stock futures are in the green. yesterday, we watched the dow climb a stunning 619 points. the third biggest point gain ever. it snapped a six-day selling streak over concerns of china's growth. walmart will stop selling military style semiautomatic rifles. the ar-15s. the announcement came the same day two television journalists were shot and killed on live tv. walmart says this is in change to slumping demand although gun sales have been strong this summer. new outlets across the country are struggling to handle the video of the shooting. most footage taken by adam ward before he was shot and killed, gawker and the new york post showed separate video. and the postponement of "mr. robot." the network said it contained a graphic scene similar in the nature to the tragic shooting in virginia. >> it's too shocking this keeps happening over and over again. new information on the gunman who killed two journalists live on television. "new day" starts right now. >> we come to you this morning with very heavy hearts. two of our own were shot and killed during a live shot yesterday morning. >> she lived a great life. >> she had that "it" factor. >> i lost the love of my life. >> this world was robbed. >> i have been in this business a long time. this is the worst day of my career. >> he was someone who was known to people at the station for volatility. >> that guy who did this is not the guy that i worked with. >> we got to do something about crazy people getting guns. >> good morning. welcome to "new day." it is thursday, august 27th. alisyn is in new york. i'm outside the affiliate wdbj. it was at this hour yesterday two lives stolen by a mad man yesterday executed on live tv. a growing memorial behind us and growing sense of loss around us. the station's morning show that alison parker and adam ward is on air right now paying tribute to their colleagues. families and friends sharing grief, but celebrating the lives that were taken far too soon. we will speak with the boyfriend of alison parker and dealing with the question of why did this happen. the question that is too familiar these days. answers often casting a shadow more than shedding light on senseless murder. this time there's plenty to go on from the social media post and footprint and rambling letter that the mad man faxed to a television network about his motives. as the sun rises in roanoke, two faces that said good morning to virginians are gone. >> alison parker and adam ward are gone. >> they were executed by a former employee who was fired two years ago. vester flanagan known as bryce williams on the air. he posted his video saying alison made racist comments and adam went to h.r. after working with him one time. by noon the murderer had shot and killed himself. but before confirmation of his death, wdbj's manager shared his anguish on air. >> i'm going to step out of my role as a former journalist and say, i'm not sure i want him to live or die. if he dies, then he took the coward's way out. >> reporter: the suicide note was 23