Associated Press
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
A Virginia TV reporter and cameraman were shot and killed live on air, the station’s general manager said.
The incident happened at the Bridgewater Plaza in Moneta, Virginia.
The two were working for station WDBJ7. Jeffrey A. Marks, the station’s general manager, identified them as Alison Parker, 24, and Adam Ward, 27. Marks said it was "a terrible crime against two fine journalists" and that authorities don’t yet know the identity of the gunman.
According to wdbj7.com, someone opened fire at them shortly before 7 a.m.
Marks said on air that neither the station nor officials know the motive for the shooting. He says he has talked with authorities and they are working diligently to find out.
In a video of the incident, which was briefly posted to Twitter before being removed, as the camera falls to the ground, it captures a fleeting image of a man in black pants and a blue top who appears to be holding a handgun.
Parker was interviewing someone about tourism and smiling when suddenly at least eight shots were heard. The camera appeared to get dropped on the ground. The reporter can be heard screaming.
The station then switches back to a shot of an anchor back at the station, who has a shocked expression on her face.
Chris Hurst, an, anchor at WDBJ said he was in love with Parker and the two wanted to get married.
He said although the two didn’t share their relationship publicly, they were in love and had just moved in together.
Hurst tweeted: "We were together almost nine months. It was the best nine months of our lives. We wanted to get married. We just celebrated her 24th birthday."
He also tweeted about the second victim, Ward, saying that Parker "worked with Adam every day. They were a team. I am heartbroken for his fiancee."
The station’s website says Ward was a graduate of Virginia Tech. Parker attended James Madison University, where she was the editor of the school’s newspaper, The Breeze. She also had been an intern at WDBJ-TV.
According to her Facebook page, Parker spent most of her life outside Martinsville, Virginia. She was an avid kayaker and attended community theatre events in her spare time.
The station is based in Roanoke, Virginia, and serves the southwest and central part of the state. The shopping mall where the incident happened is just off Smith Mountain Lake.
Moneta, which has a population of about 10,000 people, is southeast of Roanoke.
Marks said on air: "I cannot tell you how much they were loved. Alison and Adam."
"Our hearts are broken."
