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WDBJ News Crew Shooting Incident

A former WDBJ reporter shot and killed two current reporters, Alison Parker and Adam Ward, while they were conducting a live interview. The gunman, Vester Lee Flanagan, was a former employee of WDBJ. After fleeing the scene, Flanagan engaged in a police pursuit before crashing his car and fatally shooting himself. The motive for the shooting is still under investigation, though Flanagan and the victims previously worked together at WDBJ.

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Cara Lavorato
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74 views2 pages

WDBJ News Crew Shooting Incident

A former WDBJ reporter shot and killed two current reporters, Alison Parker and Adam Ward, while they were conducting a live interview. The gunman, Vester Lee Flanagan, was a former employee of WDBJ. After fleeing the scene, Flanagan engaged in a police pursuit before crashing his car and fatally shooting himself. The motive for the shooting is still under investigation, though Flanagan and the victims previously worked together at WDBJ.

Uploaded by

Cara Lavorato
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Members of WDBJ news crew shot by former

coworker
Carolina Lavorato April 24, 2017
ROANOKE, [Link] this morning at 6:43 a 911 call stated that there were
shots fired at Bridgewater Plaza. WDBJ Reporter Alison Parker and
cameraman Adam Ward were shot to death while doing a live television
interview in tourism in the area. The third victim in the shooting, Vicky
Gardner is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
The gunman, Vester Lee Flanagan, known on air as Bryce Williams, was
a former employee of WDBJ. Parker and Ward were interviewing one of the
people at the plaza when the suspect came up and shot the two of them. The
suspect fled from the scene and later posted videos of the shooting.
Flanagan got away in a gray 2009 Ford Mustang and drove to Roanoke-
Blacksburg Regional Airport. He then ditched the Ford at the airport and
drove away in a Chevrolet Sonic that he rented earlier this month.
There were alerts sent out for the getaway car and eventually the
authorities tracked the car. Flanagan was headed east on Interstate 66 and
seen by one officer who then followed him until backup came. Once they
were there she turned on her lights to pull him over.
The suspect did not stop for the police and a few moments later he ran
the car off the road and crashed. When authorities approached the vehicle
they saw that Flanagan was suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.
Flanagan was then transported by helicopter to a NOVA Fairfax hospital
where he died later this afternoon around 1:30 due to self-inflicted gunshot
wounds.
According to Sheriff Bill Overton, the motive for this crime is still being
investigated. There is no known link to the suspect and the victims besides
them all working for WDBJ7. Authorities are not sure how Flanagan knew
where the reporters would be that morning.
After the shooting Flanagan sent a 23-page fax about the double
murder to a news station in New York that local authorities have possession
of and is a part of the current investigation.
"This gentleman was disturbed in some way," the sheriff said. "At some
point in his life, things spiraled out of control."
Sheriff Overton thanks everyone for their cooperation and assistance,
especially from government agencies, during the ongoing investigation. He
asks that everyone keep the victims and their families in their thoughts and
prayers during this time.
###

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