Police find alleged gunman with life-threatening gunshot wounds after killing of reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward on scene of news segment
A suspect is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries after allegedly killing two members of a news crew and injuring a third person in Moneta, Virginia, in a shooting that took place during a live TV broadcast on Wednesday morning.
WDBJ7 reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27, were killed. Interviewee Vicki Gardner, who was also shot, is undergoing surgery in hospital.
A shocking video of the shooting was subsequently posted on Twitter and Facebook.
Virginia state police said that they spotted a “suspect vehicle” heading eastbound on Interstate 66 and attempted to stop it. “The suspect vehicle refused to stop and sped away from the trooper,” the police force reported on Facebook. “Minutes later, the suspect vehicle ran off the road and crashed. The troopers approached the vehicle and found the male driver suffering from a gunshot wound.
“He is being transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries.”
The police force added: “The male driver is believed to be the same male subject who shot three people this morning in Franklin County during a television news interview.”
Virginia’s governor, Terry McAuliffe, had said that police believed the suspect was a “disgruntled employee” from the station.
Virginia state police have announced a press conference for 1pm local time (6pm BST).
A Twitter account purporting to be run by the gunman posted a video of the shooting, as well as one of the lead-up to the attack. Both were posted as one file on Facebook.
The videos, posted in the name of Bryce Williams, the name journalist Vester Lee Flanagan reported under for WDBJ7, show an approach to Parker, Gardner and Ward on the deck where they were filming an interview.
Read more:
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/26/virginia-gunman-kills-reporter-cameraman
