Twenty seven year old Photographer Adam Ward and twenty four year old reporter Alison Parker were killed today during a live TV broadcast in Virginia after 6:45 AM. The duo were on location at a shopping center (though CNN says a waterpark) when a man fired around eight shots. Some of those bullets hit Alison and Adam. The duo worked at WDBJ and according to the station, what makes this story even sadder is the fact that Adam and Alison were romantically involved with others at the station. Adam was engaged to producer Melissa Ott, while Alison was dating the station’s evening anchor Chris Hurst.
According to NBC, three people were shot during the Virginia shooting incident.
Update: The suspect has shot and killed himself.
CNN’s broadcast coverage also cites that the man who fired the shots may have been targeting them specifically but that information isn’t confirmed yet. Reports also state that the gunman was a disgruntled employee. Their interviews also show that photographers and reporters are sometimes pushed around, robbed, etc while doing their jobs.
Before Adam was shot and killed, he snapped a photo of the suspect–and it shows a chilling image of the man pointing a gun at him about to fire. The photo is being used by authorities and passed arond to show who the suspect was.
