Two journalists for a local CBS affiliate in Virginia were shot dead Wednesday during a live broadcast, with chilling television footage capturing a fuzzy image of the gunman, who was still at large. WDBJ reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27, were shot at close range while conducting an on-air interview.
The killings sparked a manhunt for the suspect and prompted local school officials to lock down their facilities, once again highlighting fears about gun violence in America. "We do not know the motive. We do not know who the suspect or the killer is," said WDBJ general manager Jeffrey Marks as he confirmed the deaths to viewers.
WDBJ is located in the Virginia city of Roanoke, about 240 miles (385 kilometers) south-west of the US capital Washington. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe said the gunman was believed to be "a disgruntled employee" of the network, and that his arrest was imminent. Police "know the suspect, they have identified the suspect (and) are in pursuit," he told Washington's WTOP all-news radio. Marks said Parker and Ward were "both in love with other members of the team" at WDBJ.
The woman who Parker was interviewing on a balcony at the lakeside Bridgewater Resort in the town of Moneta, near Roanoke, was "seriously injured," Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said. Parker was talking to Vicki Gardner, head of the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce, about tourism development for WDBJ's early-morning newscast when the gunman seemingly closed in from behind.
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