Virginia reporter, photographer shot to death on air

A gunman killed a Virginia TV reporter and her cameraman colleague during a live broadcast Wednesday. WDBJ is reporting that police and other media outlets initially said he shot and killed himself. Vicki Gardner from the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce was being interviewed at the time of the shooting, and was shot in the back, reports CNN.

The freakish 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.

Watch live stream footage of that from that station here. “We do not know who the killer is”, Marks said.

“We are trying to figure out what just happened – thank you all for your concern and kind words”, WDBJ7 posted on Twitter. The photo is being used by authorities and passed arond to show who the suspect was. She also had been an intern at WDBJ-TV.

Morgan said Ward was engaged to a producer at the station, Melissa Ott. While he worked at the station, they say, he was angry and hard to work with.

“Adam was our go-to guy”.

The station confirms a shooting took place during a live shot.

WDBJ anchor Chris Hurst tweeted that he and Parker were “very much in love”, adding: “I am numb”. “He did live shots during our morning show for several years”. He said they had just moved in together and wanted to get married. They were a team. “I am heartbroken for his fiancée”. “I am comforted by everynoe at @WDBJ7“, he wrote.

Ward may have caught a glimpse of the shooter, capturing on his camera what appears to be a person holding a handgun. The station then cut away to a anchor, Kimberly McBroom, back in the studio, who was completely shocked. Parker is heard screaming over and over as shots are fired. The camera drops and a man can be seen walking toward Parker.

Later the suspected gunman, Bryce Williams reportedly tweeted that Parker had issued racist remarks.

The shooting occurred at a pedestrian plaza in Moneta, Va., during a news story for WDBJ, a station based out of Roanoke.