A man sought by authorities in the on-air murders of a Virginia TV reporter and cameraman has died after shooting himself Wednesday morning while traveling on Interstate Highway 66, according to local media reports.
Initial reports from Virginia State Police said the suspect, Vester Flanagan, 41, had died but officials quickly corrected that report with him being in critical condition. He died hours later.
According to Virginia State Police, the suspect was heading eastbound on the highway shortly before 11:30 a.m. ET when he refused to stop when a trooper tried to initiate a traffic stop. A few minutes later, the suspect's car ran off the road and crashed. Troopers found the suspect suffering from a gunshot wound when they approached the car.
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The suspect, Vester Flanagan, is a former reporter for WDBJ-TV Roanoke, know on-air as Bryce Williams. He is believed to have opened fire Wednesday morning while two former station colleagues were delivering a report for the station. The attack left reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward dead, and injured a woman who was being interviewed at the time of the live broadcast.
The shooting occurred at about 6:45 a.m. ET during a live broadcast. The incident took place in Bedford County, in the south-central part of the state and about 120 miles from the capital of Richmond.
Flanagan's Facebook and Twitter accounts had been suspended after he posted a point-of-view video of the shooting. The video, shows a gun being raised toward the cameraman and reporter during the live report and shots fired. Newsmax has edited the video.
Flanagan also tweeted comments about posting the shooting and his grievances with the station and the victims.
After Ward was shot and fell with his video camera fell to the ground, the camera captured a brief image of a man pointing a gun at the ground.
A spokesman for the Virginia TV station that saw two of its employees fatally shot on air describes the slain cameraman as WDBJ-TV's "go-to guy."
WDBJ spokesman Mike Morgan says 27-year-old Ward was engaged to a producer at the station, Melissa Ott.
Morgan says Adam had been with the station for four years.
Morgan says: "Adam was our go-to guy. He pretty much was available to do anything that we asked. He did live shots during our morning show for several years."
Parker and Ward were filming a feature segment for the morning news program at Bridgewater Plaza, a shopping and recreation plaza.
Asked on CNN if the station had been targeted or had been threatened, General Manager Jeff Marks said, "Every now and then you get a crazy email or something and we'll look into it. Nothing of this nature than any of us could recall."
He said the interview was to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of Smith Mountain Lake, and the woman being interviewed was from the local chamber of commerce. She had been talking about the anniversary and tourism.
"We don't make a secret of where we report from, we may start now," Marks said.
There was no word yet from the hospital on the condition of the woman, identified as Vicki Gardner, executive director of the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Live television showed the interview abruptly ending with screams. An image captured from the camera showed a man holding a gun.
The station said on its website that both the dead journalists were from the region.
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Parker grew up in Martinsville and attended Patrick Henry Community College and James Madison University, while Ward graduated from Salem High School and Virginia Tech, the station said.
They were both engaged to be married to other people.
Parker, who was dating the station's 6 p.m. anchor, Chris Hurst.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Parker's father, Andy, said that he found "my grief unbearable.
"Barbara, Drew and I are numb, devastated, and I find my grief unbearable," Parker said. "Alison was our bright shining light, and it was cruelly extinguished by yet another crazy person with a gun.
"She excelled at everything she did and was loved by everyone she touched.
"She loved us dearly and we talk to her I ever single day," Parker said. "Not hearing her voice again crushes my soul. Our family can only take solace in the fact that although her life was brief she was so happy with it.
"She lived it to the fullest, and her spirit will always be with us."
Material from The Associated Press, Reuters and AFP was used in this report.
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