>> breaking right now, following a disturbing story out of virginia this morning. a tv news crew gunned down as they did their jobs. now everyone wants to find the person who targeted them so publicly as we learn sad information about the two victims who had bright futures ahead of them. >> back in action, the washington monument reopens after a scary situation. now the big question, what went wrong? >> sun is shining in our area for now. i'll be talking about the weekend ahead and tropical storm erika. >> plus your commute to work really is as painful as you think it is. the new list of destination

list. >> right now a man hunt is on for the man who shot and killed a local news reporter and photographer live on the air near roanoke. the governor says an arrest is imminent and that police are closing in on the suspect on i-64. the shooting happened in virginia in flank lin county. that is about four hours from d.c. now, the news crew was at a shopping center this morning. these are pictures from their reporting. they were doing a report on tourism for their morning show. wdvj reporter allison parker was doing a live interview, 6:45 this morning. that is allison. he was talking to a woman from the local chamber of commerce when the man came up and started shooting her and adam ward, the camera man. they talked about how the

tragedy played out on live information. >> someone with a gun, we believe it was a man, barged into where they were and fired several shots, six or seven, it sounds like. we heard screaming. and then we heard nothing. and the camera fell. >> after the shooting, the camera did catch an image of the suspect dressed in all black pointing a gun. the governor told our news partner, wtop, a short time ago that the suspect is plooefed to be a foreigner disgruntled employee. the woman with the chamber of commerce being interviewed was shot and she is in surgery. >> a lot of their colleagues are talking about it. they want to remember their lives and not just these people as victims of a crime. i'm going to tell you more about the victims now. >> alson parker was a staple on the team.

she spent most of her time in virginia. the james madison university graduate recently celebrated her 24th birthday. he was dating an evening anchor. >> adam ward also died. he was dating a morning use cast producer. the wdjb spokesperson says he was the station's go to guy and police are closing in on the suspect right now. >> david culver is on his way right now. and we'll spend a breaking news alert to your phone when we get an update. another story today. u.s. markets are on the rise this morning despite stocks over seas. the dow opened with a 2% jump. another day of growing on wall street. here's a look at the numbers. we'll send you an alert on our app if stocks take any dramatic turns. i'm molette green, live out

the washington monument. it opened as scheduled after the national park service described the elevator problem as minor and an easy fix. >> how many? two more. >> reporter: the first morning visitors loaded the elevator to go up to the top. >> the first thing to do, you took me a long time to get the tickets. it all worked out well. >> but not so for the 63 people ready to leave the observation deck last night. some 500 feet up, the elevator sensor malfunctioned and the doors would not close. >> they had gotten bumped or somehow out of alignment so the elevator went into safety shut down mode. similar to your garage door. if your garage door is coming down and you break that contact, it stops operating so nobody gets hurt the. >> the national service says it's an easy fix. >> technicians came in this morning and fixed it quickly and we are open at 9:00 for

everybody. >> visitors come to washington from across the country and all over the world just to see this view from the monument's observation deck. but taking nearly 900 steps to get back to the ground is a little too much. and one of the visitors told me he's from the uk, he came all the way here just to go inside and was happy that it was up and running today. we have followed the elevator problem issues that have been nagging in may and june. the park service tells me that the monument elevator is no different than any other high profile elevator. it was about 15 years old. it's about half way through its usefulness. but since there is only one elevator inside, when it malfunctions, they have to close washington's most visible attraction. again up and running right now. live on the national mall, molette green. >> right now the florida poelgs

working to landed a gyrocopter at the u.s. capitol is scheduled to be in court. he rejected a plea deal that would have required him to spend 10 months in jail. he said he shouldn't have to pay for it behind bars. >> in less than 30 minutes now, a major meeting at metro. this morning the metro board is talking about the train derailment at the smithsonian station. it happened august 6th. the board received metro's internal investigation into how a train derailed and they'll address why the track problem that caused it wasn't fixed for a month. down load our app for any breaking news that comes out of this meeting. someone could lose their job. that meeting starts at 11:30. >> so far so good for your weather. sun is shining right now over the capitol. a little taste of autumn in the

air. crisp, dry airs and temperatures are a little bit more of a reminder of september than august. they're warming up. and tropical storm erika remains something we have to watch. current temperatures in the low to mid 70s. afternoon highs in the low to mid 80s with plenty of sun shine. we'll talk about the weekend rain chances coming up. >> we continue to follow breaking news. a television news reporter and her photographer gunned down on live tv. we're keeping a close eye on the situation as police zero in on the person who targeted them. news 4 midday is back in 60 seconds. comfort keepers can provide a variety

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is doing damage control. he was comply meanting a professional regerj day or the. they're posting a full heart-felt apology. and bear, the lab is one of only five dogs in the country that has been trained to smell electronic data devices upon command. he found a thumb drive that authorities couldn't find in an fbi at fajared fogle's home. that played a key role in his arrest. >> someone lost a win. a runner threw her arms up in the air and slowed down as she headed toward the finish line. that slow down caused her to lose her place in the top three finisher finishers. would have been the first

nonafrican

>> welcome back to news 4 midday. i'm chuck bell. temperatures are in the mid 70s now. and we're in store for a beautiful afternoon today. filled with sun shine. temperatures inching their way up into the low to mid 80s. planning on going to the baseball game tonight? nationals playing the padres. behind the mets. good night for baseball. temperatures will start near 80 and finish off in the mid 70s. >> thank you, chuck. the silver line expected to be open in 2019 or 2020. if you live in loudoun county, you can share input on how it's built. they're holding a public workshop about the silver line tonight. they'll break down three land

dropment plans. they're having for help to come up with more plan. >> right now arlington county leaders and law enforcement are dedicating this bridge to a state trooper who died. it will be remained the trooper jacqueline vernon memorial bridge. she pulled someone over near the bridge when a bus struck and killed her. she was the first woman and first black virginia state trooper to be killed while in duty. >> the pain of commuting officially real. where d.c. falls on the newest list that shows just how much time we spend in our cars.

here at humana, we value sticking with things. when something works, people stick with it. more people stick with humana medicare advantage. because we stick with them. humana medicare advantage. the plan people stick with.

>> breaking news into the live desk right now. police have just identified the suspect in the killings of a local news reporter and photographer near roanoke this morning. the sheriff's department is sayings the vester lee flan began the second. this is a still picture of the suspect. the photographer's camera caught an image as the photographer s fell to the ground.

a morning reporter and her cameraman, both described as having a bright one futures ahead of them, shot and killed. >> we're in first place, and this time definitely not a good thing. we all know this too well. a new study says our traffic is worse than any other city in the country. news 4 spent our morning piecing apart this report. this can't be that much of a surprise to us here. right? >> reporter: you know, it's not, especially for those folks from the metro area. they say they're been seeing an increase of traffic getting course over the last several years, even on places like connecticut avenue. we talked to a triple a spokesperson who says there have been warning signs that our congestion would surpass that of l.a. and new york. there's no secret about it. the gridlock in our area is

gro grueling. >> it's a nightmare. >> reporter: there's a new study that shows just how bad things are. a report says in 2014 the average commuter spent 82 hours in traffic, waisting 35 gallons and gas of that adds up to a loss of $1,800. >> well, time is again. >> reporter: it is, but it's something drivers like this woman like to hang onto. she tries to avoid peak times. >> i try to get out early and get back early. >> reporter: it works for some but not all. john thompson is the spokesperson with triple a mid atlantic. he says traffic in the metro area is getting worse for a number of reasons. >> more people have moved here, and now we're at almost 6 million persons and 1.9 million of us drive to work alone each day. >> reporter: he says in the meantime, his best advice to

drivers is leave early. and make the best of what we all know can be a frustrating commute. the study also says if your commute typically takes 20 minute, say they it's important to allow at least 50 minutes during rush hour to get to your destination. back to you. >> some good advice. we have a traffic alert you need to know about. right now you need to find another way to get from gw parkway to the francis scott key bridge. the ramp will be closed through friday. you can take the roosevelt bridge. just head a little bit south. >> sun shine and now temperatures in the mid 70s. 75 at reagan national. hagerstown, a great day out in the northern maryland. no weather slow downs for our afternoon or evening. tomorrow looks great too.

here's your 7-day forecast. another cool start tomorrow morning. downtown temperatures in the mid 60s. suburbs in the upper 60s tomorrow morning. humid on friday. into the weekend, temperatures back up close to the 90 degree mark. a little chance for an afternoon hour or thundershower coming up on both sunday and monday. no washouts. >> i'm an gee goauf celebrating backpack for kids. take a look behind me. who has arrived? aacp, bringing us scores of backpacks. helping them out, intern john from hot 99.5. and this is a great example of what we've seen all morning long. take a look at some of the viewers who have come out. we had a pup come out, a bulldog. we also had a lot of students, and even two olympians.

here to talk a little bit more about the impact and who this is going to benefit, we have cameron elementary representing and principal genie waters. what does it mean to you to see this? we've seen one load taken off in a van. this is our second. >> it is so important for our kids. this allows my students to be totally prepared for learning for the school year. we appreciate all of your backpacks and supplies. >> and when we talk about students and being prepared, that's something you know well. you are a rising sixth grader. what does it mean to you that so many people came out to bring backpacks? >> i'm just thankful that we have supplies for a grade for every grade, so that they help us a lot. >> and i love your t shirt, character counts at cameron. and you're setting a wonderful example. the assistant principal jenkins joining us. you've seen a lot of young kids donating. >> it gives them a good start

for the school year. they're getting supplies needed to have a fresh start and get the school year started off on the right foot. >> reporter: principal waters, this is having a huge impact. you've seen it year after year. it makes a difference. >> it makes a huge difference. my school receives over 500 bags a year from this year so thank you so much. >> it's not over yet. you have a chance to come out here and give. you can visit us here at the kings branch of apple federal credit union. you can dgo to our app and searh backpacks and donate. >> even as the kids head back to school, catching the school bus might not be the only concern. >> why back to school anxiety is

>> students in d.c. are starting their school year on a sad note. school officials say the man who

they call the pillar of i street dr. john mormon passed away yesterday from a heart attack. he taught at the school for nearly 50 years and ran the school's theater program. he was a man who cherished his student. the school year just started there last week. >> back to school can be an exciting him but it can also bring all different kinds of anxiety for students. dr. joshua winer is a psychiatrist that joins us this morning. >> good morning. >> what causes anxiety for kids. >> it's normal for a lot of kids to have to jitters. maybe it's a new school ore teacher, the unknown about what the new school year is going to bring for them. sometimes they're worried about bullying or social issues. the list goes on and on. >> and we know a lot of kids have those jitters, a little bit of nervousness for the new year.

how do you know whether it's just a little nervousness that's normal for a lot of kids or something more serious that you need to look a little bit deeper into. >> i would say into the symptoms of anxiety, verbal or physical, complaints of not feeling well, if those things are continuing beyond a week or two into school, then i think you need to take a second look and decide whether you should seek out some professional help. i think the first place to go is your pediatrician or the school counselor. they're very accustomed to dealing with these things. >> these are kids of all ages, kindergarten to high school. >> what they worry about is a little bit different based on age but all kids have the potential to get anxious before school. >> we'll be back with you a little bit later and we'll talk about what you can do to help your kids if there's such a thing as a school phobia which

is more serious. >> thank you. hurricane erika makes a dash across the atlantic.

>> today the head of fema will marked mississippi after the ten years after hurricane katrina. they'll visit areas on the gulf coast. they'll visit schools that have been rebuilt since the 2005 storm. how about our weather? our weather is just fine. all eyes in the weather department keeping an eye on tropical storm erika. here's the official trek. it carries it north of san juan, puerto rico, over the weekend, and the center of the storm may be a category 1 storm, it could be anywhere inside of here.

anywhere inside of that cone, is where the storm could potentially be. we'll keep a close eye on this. >> flights have resumed after a fire in a hang gar forced a runway to shut down. nobody was hurt. the runways were shut down for about 90 minutes as a precaution. no word on what sparked those flames. >> following breaking news, a tv reporter and photographer gunned down on live tv. news 4 midday is back in a moment.

>> a lod on braut of breaking information. since the top of the hour, police identified the shooting suspect as vester lee flanagan ii. 41 years old. this is a freeze frame taken by the photographer as he was being shot to death. you see there the suspect dressed in all black, points a gun. the news crew from the cbs affiliate there, wbdj was doing a report on tourism for their morning show. allison parker was doing a live interview when the man came up

and shot allison and the photographer, adam ward. allison was on the morning team. there's allison there. she spent most of her life in virginia, growing up in martinsvil martinsville. she graduated from james madison. just turned 24. the photographer, adam ward was 28. the virginia tech was the station's go-to guy. the woman being interviewed from the chamber of commerce was shot. we're hearing she is in surgery. back to you. >> thank you, christen, and just a terrible story. our entire news room is shaken. this story really hits close to home but it's the sort of violence happening around the country and there are plenty of families or still looking for answers. >> it is, and sadly, we're seeing stories like this more and more often. it's terrible and sad. it hits close to home. for us it makes it a little more impactful for us in the news room. but things like that, unfortunately do happen. >> our prayers and thoughts with

their families and friends. >> our david culver is on his way down. as soon as we get an update, we'll send the breaking news alert straight to your phone. >> right now the washington monument is back open. take a live look here. visitors there probably hoping they don't get stuck at the top. that happened last night to 63 people, including to pregnant women. they were trying to leave the observation deck when the elevator malfunctioned. the doors would not close. the firefighters helped bring the two pregnant women down the. this . >> correction officers walk the rout the two escaped convicts used. they say it only took 20 minutes for the men to get out. matt was shot and killed in

june. sweat was captured about two days later. the man who pulled out a began on a train is facing terror and aat the present timed murder charges. this is this france. free american who is stopped him on a train to paris who france's top medal in their hands. anthony sadler arrived home last night. another of the people, will get the army's highest awards when he returns to the states. >> stay with us live. people gather in front of the white house to mark women's equality day. here's a live look at the white house now. this group first started walking at 9:00 this morning. the activists plan to make it to the upper senate park for a rally at 1:00 this morning and certainly good weather to be outside. >> absolutely. if you have a day outside, today is one of the good ones in the month of august. there's the view from our tower.

a few multilevel clouds in our sky this morning. dimming out the sun shine from time to time. these clouds should have a tendency to move out as the day progress progresses. low to mid 70s. highs today are generally speaking in the low to mid 80s. plenty of sun shine. a light north to north westerly breeze. only at about 5 to 10 miles per hour. it's hump day and you're thinking about the week weekend. saturday and sundays, temperatures in the upper 80s and low 90s. dry but a scattered shower or thundershower on sunday. >> a bat eagle will head back to its natural habitat after being found injured on a pier. the an maimal control officers l release the bird. it's been recovering at the wildlife center since captured. >> buy tickets to support your local police department and i won't impound your car.

that was the message from a philadelphia police officer, and it was all caught on camera. we have that video. take a look. >> you and your friend got any money to buy these tickets to support your police department? >> he's not a rookie. 32 years of age. he's an adult. a grown man. he's a police officer, and that position, alone, i mean, this should tell you that this is not what you do. >> we didn't need to show this video to the police commissioner. he saw it already, and minutes after he called him. >> there's nothing about the stop that's good. and i'm not gng to try to justify any of it. >> you buy these, i don't take your car. it's unregistered. support your police department. >> you didn't expect it to be shared. >> reporter: i spoke with the man who said he shot the video. he said he never thought it would get that many viewed. >> you already paid.

you got the tickets. support tops like me instead of -- >> officers say the 24th district says this was during a traffic stop and says he paid the $30. the officer also appears to be making home phobic slurs in the video as well. >> what's up with [ bleep ]? >> interest cancer, man. my grandmother went through it. >> interest cancer, can't you support it in another way in you look like a fruitcake. >> that officer is behind a desk today until an internal investigation is carried out. the video has gone viral. >> a popular movie brings a surprising achievement in the music world and some say it's

>> here are some of the stories lighting up social media this morning. have you ever happened what happens to your luggage? there's a new three minute video that shows what your luggage goes through and it seems that a

lot of people want to know about this. more than 1 million of you have checked this video out. to see what happens. this behind the scenes video was shot in amsterdam's airport. >> straight out of compton is  scored its first top 40 hit. it has hit the charts over a quarter of a century after its release. the song straight out of compton led the lead single in their 1988 album. according to time magazine, there were 35,000 down loads and almost 6 million domestic streams last week. today is all about man's best friend. it is national dog day. to celebrate your furry friend, send us your photo or e-mail us. so cute. very cute. >> traffic alert. the project that's about to cause quite a few headaches.

>> welcome back to news 4 midday. planning out the rest of your wednesday afternoon. sunny and warm for the next couple of hours. mild for your evening plans. get the car washed. a couple more dry days ahead of you. you can drive your clean car for a couple of days. drive it down to the beach this weekend. water temperatures at 80 degrees at the inlet. looks like it's going to be dry, friday, saturday, and sunday. perfect day to get down to the beaches before labor day. in virginia, some lane changes starting tonight. 9:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m.

thursday. eastbound route 7, shifted to three lanes. cars will be detoured onto fairfax county parkway and sugar land at route 7 shut down to all traffic until the end of september, perhaps early october because of this project as well. >> some big new developments in the battle for the white house. and sending kids back to school with the supplies they need.

donald trump once again in the spotlight for a bit of a rocky exchange. edward lawrence as the perspective from capitol hill. >> reporter: donald trump spoke to some 3,000 supporters in iowa. but the real fireworks came during his news conference. a reporter started asking questions about immigration while he was speaking. >> who is next in. >> i have a question. >> sit down. you weren't called. >> sit down. >> go ahead. >> i have a right to ask the question inform. >> you haven't been called. go back to june vision. >> the journalist was returned and allowed to ask his questions about deporting all illegal immigrants if trump were president. >> the one thing we'll start with are the gangs, and there are bad things. do you agree with that do you think everyone is person? i asked you a question. do you agree. >> new poll shows 14% of

hispanics view him five labially. >> i'm not a talker. i'm a doer. there's a lot of good talkers running for president. there's one in particular i'm thinking of. >> reporter: each of the other hopefuls are finding it hard to get their message out with the attention trump draws. >> with the next debate three weeks away, each of the other candidates are trying to shine and be one of the candidates on the stage. >> live at the kings town branch of apple federal credit union where we have been collecting these. you guys have been bringing backpacks all day. how has the turnout been? >> it's been amazing. we've emptied a couple baskets. it's been great.

>> we're glad you've been making it fun. the woman we want to talk to is here. she's a giant at nbc four, the director of our community affairs. today's sport, it was overwhelming. >> it has been, and thank you to all of our partners, especially apple federal credit union and to all the viewers who have come out. we want to make sure that people know that while they did bring quite a bit today, there is still time to go online to nbcwashington.com and make a secure do nation as well as still drop off their supplies here and at nbc 4. we're truly grateful. >> >> reporter: it's never too late to keep giving. here to talk about how it's truly making a difference where we live, is robert sole who's been doing this year after year with apple federal credit union. >> it's important to give our students a fresh start, and i just want to mimic her comments.

thank you for your outpouring. we've had growth groups and sponsors today. thank you for what you're doing. it's a well-needed resource. >> thank you so you for helping lead the charge. let's part the sea and show you what we're talking about here. this is true impact, everybody. crates that are just filled to the brim with backpacks that are stuffed with supplies. we're talking about everything from binders to paper to markers to crayons. everything students in our area need to get off to the right start this school year. thank you so much for coming out. we're looking forward to doing it again next year, but as mentioned, look at your screen. there are other ways you can donate. our nbc 4 app is free and easy. type in backpacks and you'll be able to make a do natination th going to make an impact. back to you. i'm chuck bull ell updatingr

forecast. a new clouds today. partly to mostly sunny for the remainder of the afternoon. skies will be mostly clear to partly cloudy through the overnight hours. clear enough to allow most of the western and northern suburbs back down into the 50s by tomorrow morning. inside the beltway and alongside the chesapeake bay in the mid 60s by tomorrow morning. on the whole, great weather stretching all the way into your weekend. >> this is breaking news just into the live desk right now in the killings of a local news reporter own her camera man in the adus gus a sheriff's office is confirming state police say there is no longer a threat to the community in the search for that shooting suspect. so we can read into that how we want, but they're saying there's no longer a threat. there has been a pursuit for this individual for some time this morning. and this just in now, breaking

from our affiliate in richmond. they are reporting that wdbj says the shooter has taken his own life on i-66. again, this just in from the station where that reporter and photographer worked that were both killed this morning. wdbj tweeting just now that the shooter has taken his own life on i-66. we're staying on this throughout the day. a local news reporter from a cbs affiliate in roanoke shot and killed live on the air along with her photographer. more to come throughout the day. stay with the nbc washington app for more throughout the day. back to you. >> summer is ending for kids across our area. it went by just like that. homework, friends,i catching th school bus rbt the only things to worry about. more on the back to school anxiety. there's something more serious.

there's something called school phobia. >> let me clarify. this is not the get who doesn't want to go to school and would rather hang out with their friends. >> a lot of kids in that category. >> right. what we're talking about with school phobia are kids who really do want to be in school. they know they should be in school but their anxiety is so high they can't get themselves to school. there are several reasons and it's generally based on the age. younger kids, kindergarten, it's separation anxiety disorder. with that, the kids are worried that when they're away from their parents that something bad is going to happen to their parents, not them. they're worried about their parents. when you get into kids in middle school and high school, it's about bullying or social anxiety. you're fearful of how you behave in front of other people that it prevents you from getting into

school. >> as parents, how can we watch out for signs of something more serious? >> when somebody has school phobia, they'll be complaining or throwing fits, refusing to get out of bed or get on the bus. for that, it's pretty obvious. what you need to do as is parent. if your child has school phobia, you need to seek immediate help. this is not manage you wasometh to blow off, and you don't want to let your child stay home. the longer your child stays home, the harder it is to get them back to school. if your child is refusing to go to school or complaining of being unable to go. reach out quickly to that school guidance counselor and talk about what sort of things you can do to get them back into the school setting. >> good advice. dr. joshua winer,

burger king is calling for a cease fire with mcdonald's. it's proposing the fast food jierc giants combine the whopper and the big mac to create the mcwhopper. in they agree they'd sell the burger from a popup store. people will pay with a declaration to end their beef with someone educational. >> cheif i can fillet is facing delay at denver international airport. they're trying to open a store there. the denver city counsel pushed back because the ceo said they're against same sex marriage. they said they're an equal

opportunity employer. >> staying on top of breaking news, a man suspected of shooting and killing a tv reporter an suspect has shot himself. here at humana, we value sticking with things. when something works, people stick with it.

more people stick with humana medicare advantage. because we stick with them. humana medicare advantage. the plan people stick with. breaking news into the live desk right now. we've been following all morning the killings of a local news reporter and her photographer. just in from one of our photographers on the way there. on the scene where apparently the suspected shooter has killed himself. this is a still picture from i-66 just moments ago. traffic stopped. police confirming that the there is no longer a threat and also wdbj where the go employees worked, they're also confirming the suspect has taken his own life. these pictures just in from the scene where apparently this happened on the roadway after apparently a pursuit, police

chasing the suspected shooter along the interstate there and, again, vester lee flanagan, the suspect named earlier, we believe has taken his own life. we also have video from earlier today that shows this reporter, allison parker and her photographer, adam ward. here it is. they were doing a live report on tourism near roanoke this morning about 6:45 when this shooter came up and shot both allison who has just turned 24 years old and her photographer, adam ward, 27. both of them worked at the cbs affiliate near roanoke, wdbj. both of them dead. bright futures, we're told, ahead of them. thanks for joining us. >> this has been an incredibly sad day. our thoughts and prayers to the victim's families.

>> we'll see you back here tomorrow morning for news 4

>> announcer: this is an nbc news special report. >> and good morning everyone. we've got breaking news on a very troubling story out of virginia. a pair of television journalists at a local cbs affiliate there, allison parker, a reporter, and photographer adam ward was shot and killed early this morning during a live broadcast. the attack captured on air. >> the suspect has been identified as 41-year-old vester flanagan, a former reporter at that same station.