A man who shot two journalists on live TV in the US state of Virginia has died after shooting himself, police say.
Vester Lee Flanagan, 41, an ex-employee of WDBJ7 TV, was in a car that was surrounded by police following a chase.
WDBJ7
TV reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward were killed some
seven hours earlier during an interview in the town of Moneta.
The gunman later uploaded a video of himself opening fire at close range.
The White House has urged Congress to rapidly pass gun control laws in the wake of this latest shooting in the US. Live updates Virginia State Police said
the suspect's vehicle had been spotted on the Interstate 66 highway
following the shooting, and crashed off the road after being pursued by
officers.
"Troopers approached the vehicle and found the male
driver suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound," the force said in
a statement.
He later died in hospital, a police spokesman said.
Media captionThe ambulance and paramedics are surrounded by police officers and vehicles
The
Twitter account of Flanagan, known professionally as Bryce Williams,
suggested he had held a grudge against Mr Ward, 27, and Ms Parker, 24.
Police said his utterances on social media the previous evening suggested the attack was pre-planned.
Shots and screams
The attack on the journalists took place at a large shopping centre, Bridgewater Plaza, near Smith Mountain Lake. Image caption
The Twitter and Facebook accounts of Bryce Williams have been suspended
Image caption
The live footage apparently captured the gunman
Ms Parker was starting a breakfast TV interview
about tourism at the shopping centre when suddenly shots rang out, the
camera spun and dropped to the ground, and her screams could be heard.
The
footage then captured what appeared to be a fleeting image of the
gunman, who was wearing black trousers and a blue top - and holding a
handgun.
The woman who was being interviewed, Vicki Gardner of the
Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce, survived the attack
and is in a stable condition in hospital following surgery.
Bryce Williams's Twitter and Facebook feeds, which have now been suspended, subsequently showed video shot by the gunman.
They
showed him raising a handgun, training it on the trio, and opening fire
14 times. The TV station's own footage of the attack recorded only
eight of the shots.
'Our hearts are broken'
Staff
at the TV station, which continued broadcasting after the live report,
expressed shock and sadness at the loss of their colleagues.
Media captionWDBJTV7 general manager Jeffrey Marks called the shooting "a terrible crime against two fine journalists"
"Alison
and Adam died this morning at 06:45 shortly after the shots rang out,"
the station's president and general manager, Jeffrey Marks, announced on air.
"I cannot tell you how much they were loved by the WDBJ7 team... our hearts are broken."
He
described the suspected killer as "an unhappy man" who was "difficult
to work with" and had to be escorted from the TV station by police
officers when he was finally dismissed.
A complaint filed against
the station with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by the
suspect had been dismissed, Mr Marks added.
WDBJ7 anchor Chris Hurst revealed that he and Ms Parker had been in a relationship and had planned to marry. "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.
"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 added that Ms Parker had worked
on a regular basis with Mr Ward, and that he was heartbroken for his
fiancee, a producer at the station.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest, speaking to reporters, urged the passing of new gun control laws.
"There
are some common sense things that only Congress can do that we know
would have a tangible impact on reducing gun violence in this country,"
he said.
Alison Parker
Aged 24
Reporter for WDBJ7's Mornin' show
Grew up in Martinsville, Virginia
Attended Patrick Henry Community College and the James Madison University, edited university newspaper The Breeze
In her spare time, liked whitewater kayaking and attending community theatre events
Was dating station anchor Chris Hurst
Adam Ward
Aged 27
Cameraman
Graduated from Salem High School in Salem, Virginia, and Virginia Tech
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