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MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Vester Lee Flanagan, known on air as Bryce Williams, shot himself along a Virginia highway after fleeing from police on Wednesday, August 26. He is the suspect in the on-air murder of two TV journalists in Moneta, a town near Roanoke, Virginia.
According to a report in the New York Times, Virginia’s secretary of public safety Brian Moran said Flanagan was pronounced dead at around 1:30 pm local time.
Earlier that day, WDBJ journalist Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27, were shot at close range while conducting an on-air interview at Bridgewater Plaza. Vicki Gardner, a member of the local chamber of commerce, the interviewee, was shot in the back and is undergoing surgery.
The video that aired live shows Parker listening to Gardner discuss tourism development. Shots ring out, and the camera swings to the left and falls to the ground, momentarily capturing an image of the gunman dressed in dark clothing.
According to various media reports, the suspect filmed the murder himself and posted it on Twitter. His now suspended Twitter account said that Ward complained to human resources about him after only working with him for a day, which apparently got him fired. (READ: Two US TV journalists killed on air)
On her Facebook page, Parker – whose birthday was just a week ago – described herself as the “mornin’ reporter” at WDBJ with an interest in ballroom dancing.
WDBJ anchor Chris Hurst tweeted that he and Parker were “very much in love,” adding: “I am numb.” (READ: ‘We were very much in love. We wanted to get married.’) – with reports from Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com
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