WDBJ-TV Reporter Alison Parker was interviewing Vicki Gardner, director of the local Chamber of Commerce, when gunshots rang out at Bridgewater Plaza near Moneta, Virginia. Parker and her cameraman, Adam Ward, were killed.
Gardner was seriously injured. The gunman is seen for a moment on the footage, but has not been officially identified, and no motive has been disclosed.
Gawker's Gabrielle Bluestone, however, writes that a former WDJB employee is believed to be the shooter, and that police are pursuing him down I-64.
The Roanoke Times reports on a truly horrifying event:
Franklin County Sheriff's Office deputies are searching for a suspect after multiple shots were fired at Bridgewater Plaza next to the Hales Ford Bridge, according to a sheriff's office spokesman. … Jean Jadhon said during the announcement that the WDBJ staff was “in a state of shock here. People in the newsroom are crying. It’s tough covering [a shooting] when you don’t people [involved]. When it’s two of your own …”
McBroom: “We’ve lost two friends, two coworkers. These two were more than what you see here on TV.”
Local schools are on lockdown until the shooter is caught.
UPDATE: USA Today reports that the suspect shot himself, and is in critical condition.
