Reporter and cameraman shot dead during live TV interview
A REPORTER and cameraman have been shot dead during a live interview on a US television channel.
Jeffrey A Marks, general manager of WDBJ-TV in Virginia, identified the two killed as Alison Parker and Adam Ward.
Video shows a female reporter interviewing someone about tourism on Bridgewater Plaza in Franklin County.
She was smiling when at least eight shots were heard.
The camera appeared to drop to the ground and the reporter can be heard screaming. The station then switches back to a shot of a presenter back at the station, who has a shocked expression on her face.
Virginia State Police say that as they were pursuing the suspect, he ran off the road and crashed and was found suffering from a gunshot wound.
A police spokeswoman said he is being treated for life-threatening injuries.
In a tweet, the station said: “We love you, Alison and Adam.”
The station’s website says Mr Ward was 27 and a graduate of Virginia Tech and Ms Parker had just turned 24 and attended James Madison University.
It is not clear who the gunman is.
The station is based in Roanoke, Virginia, and serves the south-west and central part of the state.
The shopping centre where the incident happened is just off Smith Mountain Lake in Moneta, southeast of Roanoke.
Mr Marks said on Wednesday: “It is my very, very sad duty to report that we have determined through the help of the police and our own employees that Alison and Adam died this morning shortly after 6.45 after the shots rang out.”
“We do not know the motive, we do not know who the killer is.
“I just got off the phone with the state police they are working very diligently to track down both the motive and the person responsible for this crimes against two very fine journalists.”
He added: “I cannot tell you how much they were loved, Alison and Adam, by the WDBJ7 team.
“Our hearts are broken and our sympathy goes to our entire team but also their parents and families of Alison Parker and Adam Ward, who were just out doing their job today covering a story near Smith Mountain Lake.
“We have members of the team holding back tears frankly.”
One of the station’s presenters, Chris Hurst, said he was in love with Ms Parker and that they wanted to get married.
Hurst said on Twitter that although the two didn’t share their relationship publicly, they were in love and had just moved in together.
He 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, Mr Ward, saying that Ms Parker “worked with Adam every day.
“They were a team. I am heartbroken for his fiancee”.
Mr Hurst described the TV station as a family, tweeting: “I am comforted by everyone at @ WDBJ7.”
According to the station’s website, Ms Parker was a morning reporter. She graduated from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and was news editor of its recognised newspaper, The Breeze. She had also been an intern at WDBJ-TV.
I cannot tell you how much they were loved by the
WDBJ7 team Jeffrey A Marks, general manager of
WDBJ-TV in Virginia