>> from abc 7 news, this is a breaking news alert. leon: breaking news from alexandria, where there are reports that a child is missing in the water. a massive seen forming off the gw parkway in stratford lake. news chopper 7 was over the scene moments ago. no word on the circumstances, but chris papst was there and we will have a live report any

moment. meantime, the top story, tragedy on the air. a young repair and photographer gunned down during their live report. alison parker was 24 years old, adam ward 27. they worked at wdbj in roanoke, virginia. as journalists, the heartbreak strikes close to home. deny, we hear from their loved ones and we learn more about the man who took their lives. jay korff is digging into the suspect's past, richard reeve is talking to people who the victims, but we start with brad bell who has been covering the investigation from the start. agonizing day today. what can you tell us? these are the last moments before the brutal attack. isoutine interview about or a met smith mountain lake. we will not show you what happens next, the ambush isonting of reporter al

parker and photographer adam ward on live tv. the interview subject, vicki gardner, was shot in the back and will survive, but the station mix a horrible announcement about its morning team. >> alison and adam died this morning. ward's cameraly, captures this image of the gun an, a formerflanag reporter known on air as bryce williams. he had been fired in 2012 for erratic offensive behavior. >> you can hear people in the newsroom crying. it's just really hard to even comprehend. we cover these things all the time, but it's really tough. flanaganhin hours, begins tweeting, first claims to hr andreported him

at per made racist statement's, then the gruesome video of the shooting. he also sent abc news a 23-page to, claiming he was inspired avenge the charleston church shootings and he was a powder can't just waiting to go boom. >> this shows where his mind was the night before. 11:30, the police are in hot pursuit of flanagan, on i-66 in fauquier county, in a rented car. esther was close in, he shoots himself. he dies two hours later. this is bridgewater plaza. this is normally a place of fun and games, miniature golf, a marina, a candy shop. tonight it remains a crime scene. a little while ago i had the opportunity to talk to the boyfriend of alison parker, the

woman who was murdered. he is also a television anchor. i asked him about the suspect in this case and he said he was not surprised it was him. brad bell, abc 7 news. leon: thank you, brad. the focus tonight, remembering the young victims. they were both in love with fellow station workers at wdbj and they had a fan following in the city they called home. the pain could be felt at a vigil in hardy, virginia. richard reeve as the memories being shared. this had to be heartbreaking, richard. richard: leon, so much emotion at the vigil, it also here at the station, the television station, where there is a memorial now with flowers and balloons and other mementos. two young ambitious people, two young lives lost. >> ♪ amazing grace

richard: for the people of roanoke -- >> so tragic, just at a loss for words. richard: this is a time to mourn and weep. >> i was devastated. there is just no understanding it. ripper alison parker and photographer adam ward. me to come in, that something unimaginable had happened. she was awesome to work with. he had this personality. he could you up if you are having a bad day. >> it's my family. richard: the community came by to get a respects. >> they were put of the family. richard: the now deceased gun man, vester flanagan, was a former station employee, a hunting fact not lost on general manager jeff marks. >> why was i not targeted?

richard: now this station and city are dealing with a loss never expected. >> it really makes you think. wow, life is precious. see ♪ut now i all night long, we have been seeing people come by the memorial. it's remarkable how many young people, the employees of the station came out to work this story, standing right in this very spot all morning, mourning the loss of their friends. general manager said tonight, "our hearts are broken." leon: so many hearts broken tonight. alison parker's father issued a statement, calling her a bright shining light. he said, "not hearing her voice again crushes my soul. our family can only take solace in the fact that although her

life was brief, she was happy with it." alison parker was dating chris a current the station. he shared some heartbreaking messages on social media and spoke for the first time tonight. >> this is my memory of her. when we had our six month anniversary, she made a scrapbook for me. all the pictures from our first six months. i did not want to be in there, sheep them in there. we were -- we were a perfect couple. leon: hurst says they had just moved in together. is investigating the gun man, unhappy and difficult, words being used to describe him. vester lee flanagan shot them to death, leaving behind a and posts manifesto

on social media. jay korff has been digging into his background and what led up to this heinous act. what have you learned? jay: leon, based on the statements of fellow coworkers on the manifesto and on court documents, uncovered by abc 7's i-team, vester flanagan was a man spiraling out of control. soon after arriving at inova fairfax hospital, vester flanagan, the man who gunned journalists, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. the 41-year-old went by the on air name bryce williams while reporting at wdbj from the 12to 2013. according to station general manager jeff remarks, he was dismissed in 2014 following angry outbursts and bizarre behavior. flanagan alleged wrongful termination, a hostile work environment, and harassment. in the kc said, "what i encountered while employed at

was nothing short of vile, disgusting, and inexcusable. your honor, i am not the monster here." internal memo showed numerous times how coworkers felt threatened by flanagan's behavior. on the day he was fired, one coworker's said that vester "i'm not leaving, i'm going to make a stink and it will be of the headlines." while roanoke these officers escorted him out of the point, he was yelling and cursing employees and photojournalist adam ward, wednesdays victim, was recording the tirade. wednesday morning, less than two hours after the shooting, vester flanagan sent abc news a manifesto. he said the race related shootings at a south carolina church motivated him. "the church shooting was the tipping the, but my anger has been building steadily. for been a human powder keg

a just waiting to go boom." in the manifesto, vester flanagan wrote about his admiration for number of mass murderers. jay korff, abc 7 news. leon: late this evening, a flanagan family spokesperson read it appropriate statement. deepestpress our condolences to the family of alison parker and adam ward. we are also playing for the recovery of vicki gardner. our thoughts and prayers at this time are with the victims' families and the wdbj television station family. leon: the investigation remains in its early stages, so stay with abc 7 as we learn more. and we will commemorate the lives of these young journalists. we will keep you updated on air and around the clock at wjla.com . him, ag news closer to

child reportedly missing in the water in alexandria. rescuers on the scene off of gw parkway in stratford lane. that is where chris papst is live. what do we know at this hour, chris? chris: we don't have many details, but the call came into fairfax county emergency responders at 8:00 this evening for a 16-year-old, a water rescue. the 16-year-old was last seen in the potomac river. there is a significant emergency response here. i spoke with a few police officers before we went on air. they said they do not have details yet they hope to have the details soon. as soon as we get them, we will bring them to you. the 16-year-old's parents are on the scene, worried, obviously concerned. rescuers are still trying to figure out what is going on, still trying to find the 16-year-old. the call came in at 8:00, three hours ago. the search is continuing.

live in alexandria, chris papst, abc 7 news. leon: keep us do, chris. said news to report the national zoo. one of the two newborn panda cubs died. veterinarian spent hours trying to save the four day old cub but had no luck. they said the cub struggled more than its sibling. the other is healthy and behaving normally. it is rare for pandas to have twins in captivity and even more it is rare for pandas to have twins in captivity and even more rare for

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national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] leon: hundreds gathered tonight to remember emebet kebede, killed by a hit and drive -- hit-and-run driver last friday. d.c. police are still looking for the driver of the black chevy tahoe involved in the crash. 17gress has until september to vote on the nuclear deal with iran. president obama has promised to veto any bill that will derail the agreement. in an exclusive interview with

maureen bunyan, president obama says he is confident the deal will also drive a vote in congress. president obama: it's challenging but not as challenging as getting the affordable care act done. the president's confidence, polls show a majority of americans either oppose the deal or are highly skeptical of it. maureen asked him about that as well. maureen: how can americans do a deal with a country like that? president obama: we don't want them to get nuclear weapons. it is precisely because iran has been so antigonus stick to us, israel, that we have to mature they don't get a nuclear weapon. leon: so far, 29 democratic senators have come out in support of the iran deal, more than a dozen democrats still undecided. we will be watching the count. watch maureen's entire interview with the president at wjla.com. all right, steve rudin has been watching the skies.

can we get another day like today? steve: we will get another day, and tomorrow looks really nice. always looking forward to the weekend, more humidity. looking forward to something here. outside right now, it is a nice, comfortable evening across the mid-atlantic. the temperature at reagan national, 72, the wind out of the northwest at three, humidity 53. the feels like to pressure, not to worry about because temperatures are comfortable. the high early today, slightly below average this time of year. record, 1948, when we hit 97 degrees. if the allergies are bothering you, sniffling, sneezing, that is because of ragweed, the high category. mold beginning to reach deep into the moderate range. gaithersburg, 61 frederick, 68 hagerstown. 67 martinsburg, 68 luray.

get the feeling here that temperatures are comfortable and will stay that way, a little on the cooler side to the north and west. especially on the mounds overnight. that is where temperatures will fall into the middle 50's. we are talking middle 60's inside the capital beltway, partly cloudy skies, the wind out of the northwest at 5. opening the windows may be a good idea. give the air conditioner a rest. you will need it for the upcoming weekend. update on tropical storm erika with wind at 45 miles per hour. it will track to the west at 14 miles per hour. by late monday, it could be just off the coast of south florida. a lot could change between now and then. this is just one computer-generated model. we will keep you updated right here on abc 7 and wjla.com over the coming days. if you have travel plans to florida, beep parent for inclement weather. the delmarvae,

beaches look nice saturday and sunday, highs near 80, the water temperature in the upper 70's. the further south, a good deal of sunshine. sunday, may squeeze out an isolated shower or thunderstorm. it will not be a washout, but be prepared sunday afternoon to sunday evening for potential thunderstorms. 85 the high tomorrow, partly cloudy, beautiful. sunglasses, you will need them. outdoor dining lunchtime, barbecues tomorrow night, a lot of school starting sporting events, football games in the evening, it looks fantastic. 90 degrees saturday and sunday. we are calling for temperatures above average as we move into the upcoming weekend. leon: ok, let's see if the nats have been building momentum for the weekend. robert: a little bit of a rally tonight, but all good things come to an end. sports is coming up. hey terry stop! they have a special!

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desk, brought to you by your local toyota dealers. robert: we start with baseball, gio gonzalez hoping to lead the nats to their fourth straight win. did not turn out that way. 4.2, seven hits, five runs. before that, a moment of silence for the reporters who died this morning in virginia. a lot of heavy hearts at nats park. ,n the seventh, justin upton solo shot to center, 6-2. nats rally but fall short, losing 6-5. mets keep the winning. cuddyer, to run blast.

mets are now 6.5 games in front of the nationals. they beat philly, 9-6. losers of six straight, a surge of offense tonight. -- five homes, runs, including a chris davis blast. the orioles go on to win this, snapping their skid, the final 8-5. in football, a key piece of the redskins defense could be out for the season. newly acquired linebacker junior colette reportedly suffered a torn achilles in practice. that will be an extensive rehabilitation lasting at least six to eight months. the redskins new pass rusher was expected to be a force with ryan kerrigan. today, jay gruden said he is very concerned about the injury. at the endn: it was

of practice, running around the corner, and he went down. he is not the kind of guy who would lay down if there was nothing, so very concerned. robert: we almost saw a no-hitter today by justin -- buter, but cyanide a chris ianetta doubled down the line. a tradition up, like no other.

leon: a quick network note for dish network customers. had previously been unavailable to dish network customers. the parties have no agreed to a two-week extension. a saucy tradition brings a lot of laughs in spain. is a tomatoy throwing party, a tradition since 1945, celebrating 70 years today. this year featured a record 374, 000 tomatoes, about 150 tons. no idea how long it takes to

clean that up or what it smells like. at home, a new twist on a favorite fall flavor in the rollout of punk and spice latte- flavored m&m's. they are wearing a scarf. you have to tell me how those taste, robert.

leon: a update on the situation we are following in alexandria. active scene as crews are searching for a missing teenager. these are live pictures from near the gw parkway. the teenager is believed to be in the water, somewhere off the gw parkway. we are continuing to watch the situation and will update you at wjla.com.

we will also have the latest on the situation on "good morning washington." final thoughts on the weather? steve: we are looking at temperatures going to rebound, back into the middle 80's tomorrow, it could start in the morning, temperatures near 65. outdoor dining, going for a walk at lunch hour, go for it. temperatures near 80 degrees. 85 friday, upper 80's near 90 on saturday and sunday. showers and thunderstorms possible sunday afternoon, 30% chance, many of you will not see anything. above average early next week. and a final look at the beach forecast for those of you with a weekend share, as the summer quickly comes to an end. degrees saturday, 81 sunday, water temperatures in the upper 70's. leon: love it. thanks for joining us tonight. jimmy kimmel live is next.

>> dicky: from hollywood, it's "jimmy kimmel live"! tonight, miley cyrus -- ali wentworth -- and music from andy grammer. with cleto and the cletones. and now, come a little bit closer, here's jimmy kimmel! [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> jimmy: thanks, everybody. thank you. hi, i'm jimmy. i'm the host. thank you