Crime & Safety
Suspect in Live Television Shooting Was Former Savannah Reporter
Vester Flanagan committed suicide during a police chase in Virginia on Wednesday morning.

A former television reporter in Savannah, Ga., is believed to be the man who shot and killed a reporter and cameraman Wednesday morning during a live interview outside Roanoke, Va.
Vester Flanagan has been described as a “disgruntled” former employee at the station where the victims worked, WDBJ in Roanoke. He used the name Bryce Williams as a reporter.
Flanagan had worked at WTOC in Savannah as a general assignment reporter from 1997 to 1999, according to a post at WTOC on Wednesday.
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Flanagan died Wednesday afternoon after apparently shooting himself during a police chase in in northern Virginia, according to authorities.
The shooting victims have been identified as reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27.
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Read More: Suspect Dead After Killing 2 During Live Television Interview
A video of the broadcast shows Parker interviewing Vicki Gardner, head of the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce, when gunshots are heard. The camera falls to the ground and cries are heard. Patch has chosen not to post that video.
Gardner was injured in the attack, but is expected to recover.
Facebook and Twitter accounts attributed to Bryce Williams showed the shootings from the point of view of the shooter. The accounts, which were quickly suspended Wednesday morning, also included statements critical of the victims.
ABC News reports it received an ”often rambling” 23-page letter in a fax at 8:28 a.m., allegedly from Bryce Williams. The letter reportedly speaks to Flanagan’s motive and has been handed over to authorities.
Jeff Marks, the general manager of WDBJ, called Flanagan “an unhappy man,” during the noon newscast. “He had a reputation as someone difficult to work with,” he said.
Flanagan was fired in 2013 due to anger issues, Marks said. Complaints made by Flanagan after he was fired were dismissed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, according to Marks.
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