Los Angeles: The man believed to have shot two Virginia TV journalists during a live broadcast Wednesday morning has reportedly shot himself, and later died, according to reports.
A social media user, identifying himself as former TV reporter and suspected gunman Bryce Williams, posted a video on Facebook and Twitter that appeared to be from the perspective of the shooter. The video showed a hand holding a gun and firing at the two journalists.
On social media accounts belonging to Williams, who previously had worked for WDBJ, he complained that the two victims, reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27, had treated him unkindly.
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The accounts' authenticity could not be confirmed - and they were swiftly suspended.
But the video of the shooting appeared authentic. Both accounts had existed before the shooting. The Twitter account was created August 13, and the Facebook account posted videos of Williams' previous TV appearances.
The Augusta County sheriff's office identified the suspect as Vester Flanagan. Local media reports said that was Bryce Williams' real name.
Authorities said Flanagan had been fired from the station earlier this year. After shooting his two former colleagues, Flanagan ran off the road and a police officer found him with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
He died at a hospital later Wednesday.
The shots rang out on-air as reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward were presenting a local tourism story at an outdoor shopping mall.
Viewers saw her scream and run, and she could be heard saying "Oh my God," as she fell.
Ward fell, too, and the camera he had been holding on his shoulder captured a fleeting image of the suspect holding a handgun.
WDBJ quickly switched back to the anchor at the station, her eyes large and jaw dropping as she said, "OK, not sure what happened there."
The station later went live again, reporting on their own station and staff as the story developed.
Parker and Ward were killed as the gunman fired about 15 shots. Their interview subject, Vicki Gardner, was in stable condition later Wednesday after surgery for her wounds.
Escorted
Jeffrey Marks, WDBJ's president and general manager, said Flanagan had to be escorted by police out of the station when he was fired. Marks described him as "an unhappy man" and "difficult to work with," always "looking out for people to say things he could take offense to."
"Eventually after many incidents of his anger coming to the fore, we dismissed him. He did not take that well," Marks explained.
Video posted hours after the shooting on Bryce Williams' Twitter account and Facebook page showed an outstretched arm holding the handgun and firing repeatedly at Parker as she tried to run away.
The shooter appeared to walk up to the victims and stand close by from them while holding the weapon. The three, in the midst of a live TV interview, do not seem to notice the gunman, who doesn't start shooting until Ward points the camera at Parker.
Ward was engaged to a producer at the station, Melissa Ott, who was celebrating her last day on the job and was in the control room, watching it live, as the shooting unfolded, Marks said.
Tweets posted on Williams' Twitter account Wednesday described workplace conflicts with both victims. They say Williams filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against Parker, and that Ward had reported Williams to human resources.
Marks said Williams alleged that other employees made racially tinged comments to him, but said his EEOC claim was dismissed and none of his allegations could be corroborated.
"We think they were fabricated," Marks said.
ABC News reported on its website that the network received a 23-page fax from someone claiming to be Williams. The network said the fax was turned over to authorities, and did not elaborate on its contents.
"This gentleman was disturbed at way things had turned out at some point in his life. Things were spiraling out of control," Franklin County Sheriff W.Q. "Bill" Overton Jr. said at a news conference.
Both the victims were romantically involved with other employees at the station, according to Parker's boyfriend, WDBJ anchor Chris Hurst.
He wrote online that they hadn't shared their relationship publicly but "were very much in love." He said they had just moved in together and wanted to get married. "I am numb," he said.
The shooting happened around 6:45 a.m. at Bridgewater Plaza in Franklin County, as Parker interviewed Gardner about the upcoming 50th anniversary festivities for Smith Mountain Lake, a local tourism destination.
Earlier, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe said the suspected shooter may have been a "disgruntled employee" of the TV station.
"Heartbroken over senseless murders today in Smith Mountain Lake," McAuliffe wrote in a tweet. "State Police on scene working w/ local law agencies to capture suspect."
A user-uploaded video of the live scene to YouTube. It shows Parker interviewing a woman about community business growth when about eight shots are heard.
The station said both journalists were from the station's viewing area. The station is based in Roanoke and serves the southwest and central part of the state.
According to station reports, Parker was a morning reporter and was a graduate of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. She had been an intern at WDBJ-TV. Ward was engaged to a producer at the station and had graduated from Virginia Tech, the station said.
"Today, we were going to have staff meetings to talk about happy things,"said station manager Jeffrey A. Marks. "Instead, what we'll be doing this afternoon is a memorial gathering. ... We could never have imagined that that was what our day was going to be like.
"Our teams are working on it through the tears," he said.
An anchor for the station, Chris Hurst, revealed on Twitter that he was in a relationship with Parker.
"We didn't share this publicly, but @AParkerWDBJ7 and I were very much in love," Hurst wrote, posting a photo of him with Parker. "We just moved in together. I am numb."
