Journalists shot dead during live broadcast, police named a suspect

Two American journalist have been shot to death by a man during a live broadcast.

The Virginia Police Department has named one Vester L. Flanagan, a former employee of WDBJ, as a person of interest in the shootings.

Reporter Alison Parker, 24, and photographer Adam Ward, 27, were working on a feature story for WDBJ when they were shot dead on Wednesday morning, according to a CNN report.

Flanagan

The Virginia Police Department has named one Vester L. Flanagan, a former employee of WDBJ, as a person of interest in the shootings.

The station announced the fatal shooting on its twitter handle.

It is with extreme sadness that we report WDBJ7’s Alison Parker and Adam Ward were killed in an attack this morning. http://t.co/oC9s4vLJXV

— WDBJ7 (@WDBJ7) August 26, 2015

We love you, Alison and Adam. pic.twitter.com/hLSzQi06XE

— WDBJ7 (@WDBJ7) August 26, 2015

Ward’s fiancee who works at the station’s control room watched as he was shot to death by the gunman.

Parker’s fiance, Chris Hurst, also works at WDBJ.

“We were together almost nine months. It was the best nine months of our lives. We wanted to get married. She was the most radiant woman I ever met. And for some reason she loved me back. She loved her family, her parents and her brother.” says Hurst.

We didn’t share this publicly, but @AParkerWDBJ7 and I were very much in love. We just moved in together. I am numb. pic.twitter.com/tUrHVwAXcN

— Chris Hurst (@chrishurstwdbj) August 26, 2015

The shooter, who was still on the lose at press time, fired about seven times, WDBJ General Manager Jeff Marks said. The person who was being interviewed was believed to have been shot on the back.

Parker is the morning reporter for the Roanoke station and a native of Virginia, having spent most of her life outside Martinsville. She started with WDBJ as an intern, her biography on the station’s website says.