Bright future ‘Radiant’ reporter had just fallen in love
Alison Parker was described by colleagues as a “rock star” among journalists and had recently fallen in love with a fellow reporter she hoped to marry.
Her boyfriend, Chris Hurst, 28, health reporter at the same station WDBJ7 in Roanoke, Virginia, called her “radiant” and her bosses said she had a “bright future”.
She grew up nearby in the town of Martinsville, where she watched WDBJ7 and aspired to become a presenter. After graduating from James Madison University she secured an internship and then the job she always wanted.
Mr Hurst said they were “very much in love” and had just moved in together after dating for nine months, a relationship which had not been revealed to viewers.
He said: “It was the best nine months of our lives. We wanted to get married. We just celebrated her 24th birthday.
“She was the most radiant woman I ever met and for some reason she loved me back. I am numb.” Kimberly McBroom, a fulltime anchor at the station, said: “She was a rock star here at WDBJ. You throw anything at that girl and she could do it.”