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Comm331 IL WDBJ Shooting
Comm331 IL WDBJ Shooting
Comm331 IL WDBJ Shooting
Virginia State Police found Flanagan on Interstate 66 via license plate reader. Officials
caught Flanagan in his vehicle with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Flanagan was flown
to Inova Fairfax Hospital with life-threatening injuries, and was pronounced dead at 1:26
p.m.
Flanagan was a former reporter at WDBJ7 and went by Bryce Williams on-air. He was
fired from the station shortly before the shooting occurred.
Franklin County Sheriff Bill Overton reported in a press conference this morning that the
shooting could be the result of a letter written by the suspect. Overton stated that
Flanagan faxed a lengthy document to ABC News prior to the shooting that sparked
suspicion.
Our investigators now have a copy of it and its use in the course of the investigation will
be continuing, said Overton.
Overall, a motive has not been clearly identified from the situation. Overton explained
that they are still investigating the beginning stages.
-MORE-
It is obvious that this gentleman was disturbed in some way, the ways things had
transpired at some point in his life, Overton said. It would appear that things were
spiraling out of control.
Parker and Ward were both local residents of Roanoke. Ward graduated from Virginia
Tech in 2011 and joined the WDBJ team directly after graduation. Parker graduated from
James Madison University and became a reporter for the television company in 2014.
The two journalists had been working together for almost a year.
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