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MONETA, Va. (AP) — A vigil has been held in Moneta, Virginia, for a woman being interviewed when a gunman fatally shot a television reporter and her cameraman during a live broadcast.
Authorities say Vester Lee Flanagan planned it all carefully. Hours later, he shared his own recording of the killing worldwide on social media.
The video shows him approaching WDBJ reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward, gun in hand, as they conduct an interview. He waits patiently to shoot until he knows that Parker is on camera, so she will be gunned down on air.
TV viewers heard about the first eight of 15 shots. They saw Parker scream and run, and heard her crying "Oh my God!" as she fell.
Flanagan, who was fired from WDBJ in 2013, was described by the station's president and general manager's an "an unhappy man" and "difficult to work with." Flanagan sent a long, rambling manifesto to ABC news on Wednesday that mentioned racial and gay bias, mass killings and said that he was a "powder keg."
Federal authorities say the gun he bought was obtained legally. He used it to end his own life when confronted by state troopers hours later.
In Washington, President Barack Obama called the shooting heartbreaking.
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