
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><a href="https://www.the-chesapeake.com//wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Brice-Williams-sought-for-murder-of-TV-crew-in-Roanoke.jpg"><img src="https://www.the-chesapeake.com//wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Brice-Williams-sought-for-murder-of-TV-crew-in-Roanoke-300x169.jpg" alt="Brice Williams sought for murder of TV crew in Roanoke" class="wp-image-9486" width="474" height="267"/></a></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><a href="https://www.the-chesapeake.com//wp-content/uploads/2015/08/TV-news-crew-murdered-in-Roanoke.png"><img src="https://www.the-chesapeake.com//wp-content/uploads/2015/08/TV-news-crew-murdered-in-Roanoke-300x165.png" alt="TV news crew murdered in Roanoke; police identify killer as Vester Lee Flanagan also known on TV as Brice Williams. " class="wp-image-9487" width="480" height="264"/></a><figcaption>TV news crew murdered in Roanoke; police identify killer as Vester Lee Flanagan also known on TV as Brice Williams.</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><a href="https://www.the-chesapeake.com//wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Roanoke-TV-crew-killer-Vester-Lee-Flanagan.jpg"><img src="https://www.the-chesapeake.com//wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Roanoke-TV-crew-killer-Vester-Lee-Flanagan.jpg" alt="Roanoke TV crew killer Vester Lee Flanagan" class="wp-image-9488" width="485" height="285"/></a><figcaption>Roanoke TV crew killer Vester Lee Flanagan shown with the gun from the camera of the man he killed.</figcaption></figure></div>



<h1 class="wp-block-heading"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Cambria; font-size: x-large;">Murder USA: TV News Crew Gunned Down by Fired Station Employee While Live on Air</span></h1>



<p><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">ROANOKE, VA. &#8212; Alison Parker’s boyfriend, Chris Hurst tweeted: “We didn&#8217;t share this publicly, but Alison and I were very much in love. We just moved in together. I am numb.” </span></p>



<p><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">That was the first reaction from the WBDJ news reporter Alison Parker’s boyfriend Chris Hurst upon finding out his girlfriend, along with news cameraman Adam Ward of WDBJ, was murdered by former employee Vester Lee Flanigin II, while she was conducting a live interview of a Chamber of Commerce representative at the Smith Mountain Lake Mall. </span></p>



<p><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">“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,” said Hurst in a second tweet. “She was the most radiant woman I ever met. And for some reason, she loved me back. She loved her family, her parents, and her brother.”</span></p>



<p><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">After leaving his Mustang at the Roanok, , Va., airport, police say Flanigan, also known on air as Bryce Williams, fled from the scene and was headed to the airport on I-66 when he was spotted by police and ton-airot himself. While Virginia State Police initially reported Flanigan was dead, his pulse returned and he was taken to a hospital in critical condition.</span></p>



<p><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">A screen grab of the shooter came from the camera of photographer Adam shows Flanigan shooting the cameraman.</span></p>



<p><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Another video of the slaying was taken by the killer himself and posted online before he shot himself.</span> </span></p>



<p><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">The killer sent a 23-page fax to ABC News in New York and had filed accusations of racism and complained of discrimination for being a gay man at every news outlet at which he worked. </span></p>



<p><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">Videos he took and posted online are available to view at THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY online.</span></p>



<p><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">Franklin County Sheriff W. Q. “Bill” Overton in Hardy, Va. held a news conference at 2:18 pm on Aug. 26, 2015 and expressed condolences to the family of the two victims.</span></p>



<p><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">“At 1:30 pm today the suspect died at Fairfax Inova Hospital of self-inflicted gunshot wounds. The tips and information that came in from local residents and across the Commonwealth were extremely important,” said the Sheriff’s representative. </span></p>



<p><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">At 6:43 am ;we received a 911 call from Bridgewater Mall at Smith Mountain Lake. Alison Parker, age 24 and Adam Ward, age 27, both died at the scene. Both lived in Roanoke and grew up in this area. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Virginia State Police. </span></p>



<p><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">Sgt. Rick Ross of the Virginia State Police “Shortly before Trooper Neff’s license plate reader activated on the tags of the Chevy Sonic along I-66 and she attempted to stop the vehicle. As she continued to pursue the vehicle it went off into the median. At that point she found the suspect suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”</span></p>



<p><strong><em>FROM WBDJ</em></strong></p>



<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">ROANOKE, VA. &#8212; The man suspected of killing two WDBJ7 employees Wednesday morning shot himself on I-66 in Fauquier County, according to state police.</span></p>



<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The suspected shooter has been identified as <span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: arial black,sans-serif;"><strong>Vester Lee Flanagan</strong></span>, also known as Bryce Williams. He is still alive and is in critical condition. Previously, state police said Flanigan was dead.</span></p>



<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Flanigan is a former WDBJ7 employee.</span></p>



<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">Earlier Wednesday, state police released this picture of the suspected shooter.</span></p>



<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Flanigan killed himself near mile marker 17 on I-66 around 11:25 a.m. Wednesday.</span></p>



<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The suspect opened fire on WDBJ7 photographer Adam Ward and WDBJ7 reporter Alison Parker around 6:45 a.m. during a live broadcast at Bridgewater Plaza, which is on Smith Mountain Lake.</span></p>



<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Vicki Gardner of the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce was also injured in the shooting. She had surgery and is recovering.</span></p>



<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Adam was 27-years-old. Alison just turned 24.</span></p>



<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Both Adam and Alison were from the WDBJ7 viewing area.</span></p>



<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Adam graduated from Salem High School and Virginia Tech.</span></p>



<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Alison grew up in Martinsville and attended Patrick Henry Community College and James Madison University.</span></p>



<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> ;</span></span></em></span></p>


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