A pair of television journalists at a CBS affiliate in Virginia were shot and killed during a live broadcast Wednesday morning, and the shooter is still at-large.
According to WDBJ-TV president and general manager Jeff Marks, the victims, reporter Alison Parker, 24, and her 27-year-old cameraman Adam Ward died shortly after the shooting, which occurred at approximately 6:45 a.m. at Bridgewater Plaza in Moneta, Va., near Smith Mountain Lake.
Part of the shooting was captured on the air as Parker was interviewing Vicky Gardner, the head of the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce.According to the Roanoke Times, Gardner was shot in the back and taken to the hospital for surgery. Her condition was not immediately clear.
Video footage of the incident showed the image ofa man who appears to be holding a handgun.
Marks confirmed their deaths in an on-air update shortly after 9 a.m.
"It is my very very sad duty to report ... that Adam and Alison died this morning," Marks told viewers. "We do not know who the suspect or the killer is."
"I cannot tell you how much they were loved, Alison and Adam," Marks added. "Our hearts are broken."
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe tweeted he was "heartbroken" over the "senseless murders."
According to WDBJ-TV, Ward graduated from Virginia Tech. Parker, who grew up in Martinsville, Va., was a recent graduate of James Madison University.
Parker had just moved in with her boyfriend of nearly nine months, fellow WDBJ anchor Chris Hurst, who said they planned on getting 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,” he said in a series of tweets. “I am comforted by everyone at @WDBJ7. We are a family. She worked with Adam every day. They were a team. I am heartbroken for his fiancee.”Her boyfriend, Chris Hurst, also worked at the station. Hurst tweeted a photo of the couple, saying they had just moved in together.
Ward's fiancé, Melissa Ott, worked as a morning producer at the station. According to Ward, Ott was in the control room at the time of the shooting and saw the shooting happen live.
It was Ott's last day at WDBJ, according to Ward. She had taken a job in Charlotte, and Ward was going to follow her.
"This was going to be a celebratory day," Ward said.
It is not clear whether the pair were the shooter's intended targets, Marks added. The station, he said, is working closely with authorities to assist in the investigation.
Warning: The video below contains graphic footage.
http://news.yahoo.com/cbs-journalists-shot-killed-live-broadcast-130723506.html
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