Suspect believed to be disgruntled station employee
A television reporter and a videographer for a CBS affiliate WDBJ7 in Roanoke, Va., were shot and killed Wednesday morning as they were doing a live report. The incident was caught on camera and those at the station said they heard six to seven shots and then nothing as the camera fell.
The incident happened around 6:45 a.m. at Bridgewater Plaza — a shopping and entertainment center on Smith Mountain Lake in Franklin County — where the two were interviewing a woman with a local chamber group. Few details were immediately known, said officials with the WDBJ7.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said a suspect has been identified and is believed to be a disgruntled employee of the TV station. Federal law enforcement officials are aiding in the search for the gunman.
McAuliffe also said that authorities had ruled out an act of terrorism and described the shooting as a “criminal case.” He said police have a photo of the individual and are “in pursuit as we speak.”
Alison Parker, a 24-year-old reporter, and Adam Ward, 27, who worked as a cameraman, photographer and videographer, were killed, according to WDBJ7.
“Our hearts are broken,” said Jeff Marks, the station’s general manager, as he gave condolences to their friends and family in a live stream from the station’s studio. He said the two were “just out doing a story today.”
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were dispatched from Washington to help look for the shooter.
“We are assisting in the manhunt,” Dannette Steward, a spokeswoman for the bureau, said Wednesday morning. Stewart said there was no information yet on whether a gun had been recovered.
Schools in the area were said to be on a lockdown, and authorities said they were looking for the shooter, according to WSLS10.
Several roads in the area were closed as a result.
Ward, a 2011 Virginia Tech graduate, was known to hear of news even on his way home and stop, turn around and go help report.
Parker is a 2012 graduate of James Madison University in Virginia, according to the station. She grew up near Martinsville. Before joining WDBJ7, she worked in Jacksonville, N.C.
To all LEO's and Federal agents out hunting this guy good hunting and be safe. Rest in peace Adam Ward 27 and Allison Parker 24.
Source Credit: WashingtonPost.com