#Virginia cameraman shooting series

Nevertheless, he passed away around 1:30pm at a hospital in northern Virginia. Reports first stated that Flanagan had committed suicide, but authorities changed their statement to say that he was still alive. However, it wasn't until five hours later that he was finally brought to a stop in Fauquier County, Virginia, about a three hours drive northeast of Moneta - just before noon. It's believed that he first went to a nearby airport where he switched cars with a rental he had waiting and then started driving east towards the Washington, DC area.Īll morning, alerts went out across western Virginia, warning that the gunman was on the loose and authorities said they were 'right behind him'. Meanwhile, Flanagan was already making his way out of Moneta. WDBJ's general manager later came on the air to confirm their deaths: 'It's my very very sad duty to report. When the producer finally cut the feed to the murder scene, the anchor sitting at the desk back in the studio was speechless. The women left off screams and attempt to flee before the camera falls to the floor, and a man dressed in all black is seen leveling a gun at Ward.Īll of this played out as locals watched the interview live from their homes. The two were chatting about how the event would benefit the community when eight gunshots ring out and a look of terror sweeps across Parker's face. Ward had told colleagues he was planning to get out of news The couple were planning on moving to Charlotte, North Carolina, together where Ott had just secured a new job. Just before 7am Wednesday morning, Ward was filming Parker as she interviewed Vicki Gardner, with the local chamber of commerce, about an upcoming event to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Smith Lake. That was a very hard thing to do,' she said. 'We (were) busy trying to keep her calm and hopeful. McBroom said she 'wasn't comfortable' around him and her co-workers remained vigilante, fearing he could do something threatening.Īfter he fired the shots, her team's attention turned to Ott. 'I said something like, 'We'll try to find out what that noise was as soon as we can'.įlanagan was fired from the station in 2013. I thought there was some kind of explanation. I thought maybe there were shots in the background. 'It sounds so cliche, but it was just a typical day.

#Virginia cameraman shooting series

She recalled the series of terrifying events to the New York Daily News. The news anchor's stunned expression encapsulated the horror that unfolded. And Alison, wow, she was just a rock star.' Ward's personal Facebook page is decorated with images of him and Ott, including his marriage proposal to her.Ĭhoking back tears, anchor Kimberly McBroom said: There were a lot of good things happening for Adam. Enjoy the endless tech games in your heaven. Adam, I will never find a man so happy, selfless, protective, funny, or charming like you. But the enormous outpour of love and support from so many of you near and far is so much appreciated. Getting married, having a family, buying a home. Starting new adventures with my fiance, new jobs, a new city. She wrote: 'Today, my entire world was flipped upside down. Just hours after the shooting, Ott posted a heartfelt tribute to Ward on Facebook. And our staff doesn’t need to see it again.' He said: 'We are choosing not to run the video of that right now because, frankly, we don’t need to see it again. He added that 40,000 viewers saw the shooting as it happened and the reiterated that the station will not be airing the video again. General Manager Jeff Marks said Ott was 'devastated' after news of their deaths were confirmed and was reportedly transported to hospital, overcome with grief. Heartbreaking: Ott's colleague Jean Jadhon tweeted that the producer's wedding dress had arrived on the same day as the shooting