Two US TV journalists shot dead on air

The Franklin County sheriff confirmed that it is considered an active-shooter situation and the suspect, who is believed to be male, is not in custody at this time.

Flanagan was a reporter at WDBJ for about a year using the on-air name, Bryce Williams, according to a former WDBJ employee.

According to CNN, Flanagan’s most recent Twitter messages read: “I filmed the shooting see Facebook”. The footage shows Flanagan pulling a gun and aiming at Parker before lowering it and then raising it again and firing several times.

Flanagan, a former WDBJ reporter, killed two of the Roanoke TV station’s employees live on air before leading police on a vehicle chase, after which he shot himself, according to police.

That’s usually how it goes – authorities are left to comb the Internet for clues about a suspect’s motive after a tragic event has already unfolded.

Video circulated on social media showed a WDBJ reporter scream as what appeared to be gunshots were fired.

WDBJ is located in the Virginia city of Roanoke, about 240 miles (385 kilometers) southwest of the US capital Washington.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe has said police are pursuing a suspect on the highway.

The freaky incident began at around 6:45 a.m. ET when Parker and Ward were delivering a report for WDBJ’s morning news program from a local recreation center near Smith Mountain Lake.

He posted a sick first person mobile phone video of him holding out a gun and shooting Ms Parker. He said the station had interviewed staff and that no proof of Flanagan’s complaints could be found. He said they had just moved in together and wanted to get married.

Parker was on her last day on the job before starting employment elsewhere.

Parker was in a relationship with station anchor Chris Hurst, while Ward was engaged to one of the station’s producers.

Marks said Parker was a graduate of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, while Ward was a graduate of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.

The woman who they were interviewing, Vicki Gardner, was shot in the back and is in surgery.

He added: “I can not tell you how much they were loved, Alison and Adam, by the WDBJ7 team”.