vicki gardner on the other side of the microphone survived the shootings. her husband gave us her eyewitness account of the surprise attack. did she get a feeling who was the targ sunsetet? >> allison was the target. >> adam was hit next. >> he shot three times at my wife. she was trying to dodge everything. he missed twice. she dove to the ground. curled in a ball. he shot her in the back. >> her husband watched the mayhem unfold. >> i saw what happened. i started getting phone calls from people who had seen that. wondering if it was live. i said, i don't know. i don't know. >> reporter: his wife fighting to stay alive picks herself up and walks to help. >> a fenphone call came in. my wife calling from the ambulance. she called me and said she had been shot. and that -- that she loved me. and she would see me at the hospital. >> reporter: all three victims of a deranged gunman. vester lee flanagan, a former tv reporter with an embattled past with the local tv station. leading to the premeditated killing of two of its employees. >> 24-year-old alison parker

vicki gardner, the woman being interviewed, was shot. she survived, rushed to the hospital and after surgery listed in stable condition. all of this hitting the wdbj family very hard. the station paying tribute to their lost colleagues on their facebook page. but within the last hour that station's general manager let his personal feelings and anger be known. >> i think i'm going to step out of my role as a former journalist and say i'm not really sure whether i want him to live or die. if he dies, then he took the coward's way out. and if he lives, he goes on trial and goes to prison for the rest of his life. >> that was the general manager, jeff marks, talking right there. moments after that television station was notified that flanagan was alive. nbc news justice correspondent pete williams has been following this story from the d.c. bureau. pete, bring us up to speed the very latest on this. the initial reports were that flanagan was sought by police and during that pursuit shot and killed himself. that quickly changed. >> reporter:

. >> i'm here with vicki gardner -- >> reporter: the day beginning like most any other. the morning crew, reporter alison, cameraman adam ward, doing an interview about tourism with a local official, vicki gardner in moneta, virginia. this freeze frame released by police caught in the dying cameraman's lens, revealing an image of the shooter, quickly identified as bryce william, the professional name for vester lee flanagan ii. up until about two years ago an on-air reporter at the station. >> bryce williams, wdbj 7. >> reporter: flanagan fleeing, at large, places a call to abc news calling himself bryce, saying that he's just shot two people. abc immediately contacted authorities and back at the station this solemn announcement. >> it is my very, very sad duty to report that we have determined through the help of the police and our own employees that alison and adam died this morning. >> reporter: vicki gardner is in the hospital in stable condition. by mid-morning the police in hot pursuit, the shooter on the road east towards the nation's capital. interstate 66. weave

the survivor of the shooting, vicky gardner had more surgery today for her gunshot wounds. she is sitting up and talking. tim fleischer has much more. >> reporter: i will have more on vicky gardner's condition in a moment. tonight we are learning more about the suspected shooter, the former reporter and what was in his possession. when disgruntled reporter vester flanagan crashed his car after a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police found the deadly inventory of items. court documents reveal a glock bis pistol, magazines, 9- millimeter ammunition and three license plates. >> it's conceivable that if someone saw their first hit on the air, which was probably about 5:10, they could get from wherever they were to smith mountain late. >> reporter: he came upon photographer adam ward and alison parker during a live interview. he fired nine shots killing alison and adam and wounded vicky gardner. >> she told me she was shot in the back and lucky to be alive. >> reporter: tim gardner says his wife is in good condition. >> reporter: from this image of flanagan, police are investigat

let's talk about vicki gardner. the executive director of the smith mountain regional chamber of commerce. friends say that was her title, but she did all she could to promote the community she loves so much. she is a wife, mother, a grandmother and artist. we got this message from her employer late yesterday when they say they are confident she will recover. miguel, alison. >> alison parker's grieving father paid tribute to his daughter. he conveyed a passionate message about gun regulation. >> she lived a great life. she did a lot of stuff. she excelled at everything she did. she loved what she did. she loved the people she worked with. she was happy with her place in life. so, you know, we can only take some solace in the fact she had a wonderful life. she was extremely happy. she loved this guy with all her heart. that's the toughest thing for me. everybody that she touched loved her and she loved everybody back. you know, i'm not going to let this issue drop. this is, you know, we have to do something about cra

>> vicki gardner is the single greatest champion for smith mountain lake. has been the executive director for 13 years and has done so much for this community. she is vibrant. she is positive. she is a visionary. i had a meeting with her yesterday at 4:00. and unfortunately, it was interrupted by something else of a similar nature but vicki was there dreaming and planning and we were planning of some big things that she has got working. she is a visionary. she is the single greatest champion we have at the lake. we are going to champion for her now. >> it's sort of interesting if you think about it the interview was this morning at 6:25 which meant she probably had to get up at 5:00 in the morning in order to come out. and i mean to talk about this. beautiful lake and all the things that she championed. she had to get out of bed early this morning to come do this. >> this morning she got here at 4:50. >> 4:50? why so early? >> she had two sets. actually there was an earlier recording that she did. and then, what's interesting is it's no coincidence that it

we are praying for the recovery of vicki gardner. our thoughts and prayers at this time are with the victims' families and with wdbj television station family. >> president obama calls the shooting of the two journalists heart breaking. he is calling congress to stop the bottleneck on the legislation. >> we know the number of people who die from gun related incidents around this country dwarfs any deaths that happen through terrorism. we are willing to spend trillions of dollars to prevent terrorist activities, but we have not been willing so far at least, to impose some common sense gun safety measures that could save lives. >> now the tragedy in roanoke is igniting the gun debate on the campaign trail. hillary clinton calling on congress to come up with legislation to tighten restrictions without infringing on the rights of americans. marco rubio claims there is no need for it. >> it is not crazy people. it is the violent people. it is not the guns. it's the people. here's the problem i have. first of all, the second amendment is i

we are also praying for the recoveries of vicki gardner. our thoughts and prayers at this time are with the victims' families and with wdbj television station family. >> flanagan had been fired from several jobs and was known as a troublemaker. >>> now while workplace shootings are not new, we've heard before about disgruntled employees who use violence as retaliation, it is still rare in. 2013 just 9% of all workplace deaths were homicides, but when it does happen most of those deaths were from gunshots. women are most at risk because of domestic disputes and our coverage of the shooting continues. still ahead we'll take a look at what happens when violence l. devira bra alfarone will look at social media and its role in today's attack. >> and you can get the latest on the attacks in virginia by downloading our news app and signing up for the breaking news alerts. we'll have 24 hour updates on the investigation and the condition of the survivor at www.wusa9.com. >>> we have some breaking news to tell you about right now. the coastguard is

was acting alone, but closely identified with the 9/11 hijackers. 24 hours after the shooting, vicki gardner to her husband tim gardner is now in good condition. >> he shot three times at my wife and she was trying to dodge everything. he missed twice and then she dove to the ground and curled up in a ball and that's when he shot her in the back. >> reporter: law enforcement officials believe that he staked out the station on wednesday and followed the victims to the live shot. and the gun he used was purchased legally. tonight, this tight-knit community and family mourning two promising lives cut short. >> it just crushes my soul. it's affected everyone in the community and across the country because she was such a kind and sweet person. >> reporter: a painful loss, her live-in boyfriend of nine months chris hurd will always remember their final good-bye. >> i texted her that i loved her and to have a good day, and she said, "good night, sweet boy." she would say to me, that i was her sweet boy. and she was my queen. and that was the last that i had ever heard from her. >>> next, how did br

their guest, vicki gardner, was shot in the back.er condition is stabilized, we are told, and there is a fourth person shot, the alleged perpetrator, the alleged shooter, the alleged murderer in this case, his name is vester flanagan, a.k.a. bryce williams, bryce williams being the name he used on air before he was fired from wdbj, before he was called on network television a disgruntled employee and before he was fleeing from the police, crashed his car and then put a gun to his own head. he survived and he is now in critical condition there is so much to this story. cedric alexander is on the president's task force for 21st century policing. joen than gilliam is a former police officer, also fbi agent. brian stelter to the right of jonathan is our senior media correspondent here at cnn and cnn legal analyst danny cevallos on the left-hand side is with me live. i want to begin with you, cedric alexander, if i may. there are so many different scenes to process at this time. but if you could take me in realtime right now as to what po

the woman parker has been interviewing vicky gardner was injured. there. we will, of course, let you know as soon as we find out. >> camera toppled to the ground it captured this image vesterly flanagan a diseffected former reporter at wdbj flanagan went by bryce williams posted video twitter. we will only o show you this still image. he also railed against his former colleagues parker and ward on facebook. in an extraordinary show of composure and heart, the journalist and general manager at wdbj had to wipe tears and do as they're trained to do. cover a huge story. this one, though, was about their beloved coworkers. >> we have determined to the help of a police and our own employees that allison and adam died this morning. >> short time after shooting a 23-page document park manifesto part suicide note from flan begun arrived at abc news here in new york. in it flanagan described himself as a human powder keg waiting to go boom. flanagan shot and killed himself 200 miles north of the crime scene. jeffrey marx, general manager said the station had many p

sunday morning. >>> vicki gardner was the woman they were interviewing when the shooting took place live on the air. she was injured and is recovering from surgery now. garld near's husband says he -- gardner's husband says he has been overwhelmed by the support of the community. >> it's been a whirl wind. hurry up and wait a lot. all my friends at smith mountain lake have all been in touch. everybody has been very supportive. my day has been just hectic. >> vicki gardner was shot in the chest. she went through emergency surgery. she's now listed in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery. >>> the shooting of journalists was on the front page about just -- just about every newspaper across the country. while many decided to actually show those chilling pictures leading up to the shooting, some news managers thought it was in poor taste and decided not to show them. social media full of posts on the shooting as well expressing sorrow and outrage. our wusa9 facebook friend ginger brown writes, having lost my only child when she was 21, i feel for the parents. i pray they f

what can you tell me about vicky gardner? >> well, she's very much a pillar in the community as well as a great director for the chamber. she's done so many great things and she's involved with just about everything at the lake. she's very well known throughout not only the lake area but the county and the state. from what i can understand, the conversation started inside the chambers there, and they were talking about it being such a nice day and maybe finishing the interview on the deck of the plaza. it's a three-tier deal, the deck they're standing on there, with the lake in the background which would have made a beautiful, you know, shot for the cast. >> the chamber of commerce is right inside or part of this mall? >> yes, the chamber of commerce is there at that mall. >> and she is a member of the chamber of commerce? >> she heads it. she's the ceo/chairman of it. she coordinates all the events and everything that the chamber does and the businesses. and she has just been so super-excellent at it and it's just a heartbre

local executive director of the chamber of commerce vicki gardner fired shots. as parker ran she was shot and killed along with the cameraman. their interviewee was shot in the back and wounded. the station's general manager says it was this chilling image caught by the camera as it fell to the ground that employees recognized as flanagan a former employee who used the on air name bryce williams. >> my chief photographer came to me and said you need to see it. we slowed down the video. we think we know who it is. >> reporter: flanagan sued wdbj last year for wrongful termination and harassment. court pages said as he was being fired he shouted you better call police because i'm going to make a big stink. this is not right. when he wouldn't leave, two police officers removed him. the station later warned its employees, anyone seeing him on company property should call 911 immediately. >> i think we knew he was a live wire. but do you ever really see somebody taking up arms? i'm going to be second- guessing this forever. >> reporter: after the murders flanagan fle

mientras tanto vicki gardner, la tercera vctima, hoy se encuentra en condicin estable.oel zaragosa la conoce. s/ noel zaragoza, residente del la verdad a tocado atenderla y es una gran clienta. siempre muy amable" esta maÑana los colegas de las vctimas (nat up) hicieron un homenaje a sus compaÑeros durante la trasmisin del noticiero a la misma hora en la que ayer cambiaron sus vidas. y con el dolor aun a flor de piel. s/ andy parker, padre de víctima (nat u el padre de reporta dijo que su duelo se ha convertido en rabia. cuantas veces tenemos ver que algo as suceda, dijo. s/randy serrano, @randytelemundo la reporterasu duelo el papá de que murió ayer dice que abogará control de armas, untas sobre el tema que sin duda seguirá dando días. hablar en los próximos

vicky gardner, a third person, the executive director of the chisox was also hit.een told she's undergone surgery and is out and in stable condition. as we learn a bit more as far as potential motives, really the big question obviously is the why. this is still so early to even begin to unpack that, but i have several on set as we begin to see pieces of this puzzle. let me begin with you, alex, with these tweets from this man after murdering these two young people doing what they loved. he takes to twitter. >> yeah, this is the trail that police have to follow and there's a whole lot of documents for police to look through because when you talk about three people being gunned down defenseless, it's completely senseless and not linear and there's these to grassch at. we know he was surrounded by police, before he shot himself and died in the hospital this afternoon he posted these statements on twitter and alison, referring to the young woman, alison made racist comments and then he also goes on to say adam went to hr on me after working with me one time and then he

one other person, vicki gardner, from the local chamber of commerce, was shot and injured. was being interviewed. thankfully, she is in stable condition after emergency surgery. msnbc live with thomas roberts is next. thank you for your time on this terrible day. ep trauma unit 5. what've we got? bp 64/40 sterilize sites. multiple foreign objects in the body. tweezers. (buzz!) (buzz!) if you're the guy from the operation game, you get operated on. it's what you do. (buzz!) if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. ugh! heartburn! no one burns on my watch! try alka-seltzer heartburn reliefchews. they work fast and don't taste chalky. mmm...amazing. i have heartburn. alka-seltzer heartburn reliefchews. enjoy the relief. >>> hi, everybody, i'm thomas roberts. major breaking news and fluid developments after a roanoke tv reporter and her videographer were shot and killed on morning tv during the morning news for station viewers to witness. officials from the franklin county sheriff's office are going to update this inve

we are also praying for the recovery of vicki gardner. >> reporter:recovery of vicki gardner. >> reporter: the journalists are on the air at the center of the awful story famous now continue to tell. from the clips we of all seem they have done of the novel job telling this story with compassion. juliet: thank you very much. juliet: tough story to tell because it makes you question what is going on with this culture, what we are obsessed with name and notoriety and violence. ben: the victims were young journalist just getting their star, had been in business to your two, it three years or so. jpcuiet: doing a great job. the 68 market, very strong market. adam ward was engaged to the morning show's producer who had alison parker was dating, had just moved in with one of the station and tankers, the evening a incur, there are broken families and speaking out, teresa priolo is covering that angle live from the newsroom. >> reporter: good morning. that is crisp hearst, the boyfriend alison parker. these two had theirhris hearst, the boyfriend alison parker. these two had their whole lives ahe

we are learning exclusive details from the only survivor of the attack, vicki gardner, the chamber of commerce director wardalison parker and adam were interviewing is now out of a medically induced coma. husband, sheher says investor flanagan tried to shoot her several more times, but his gun misfired and she said flanagan was wearing body armor. we are tracking tropical storm erika as it slams puerto rico with heavy rains and wind. four people dead and 20 others missing on the island of dominica. rick scott, florida governor, has declared a state of emergency. people are stocking up on food, water gas and other supplies. now with as here look at the forecast. doug: -- devin: i'm in for doug this afternoon. the. to the day. -- beautiful start to the day. edit crisp. upper 50's in the suburbs. a beautiful day. dew points, dry air in place. when those numbers go up, mid 60's, it starts to get more humid. nationals forecast, first pitcher versus miami marlins, temperatures falling back into the 70's. the nationals with the full roster playing well against the padres. the rest of our for

and we're talking about the condition of vicki gardner, the one person that survived that horrific onhot in the back and nearly killed as she was talking to alison parker and adam ward. i see behind you, people are still coming to give respects there. >> reporter: christi, it is incredible, three days since the shooting. there's plenty of interest in the community. so many people have been stopping by the studios to show support and now as we get word that really vicki gardner's condition continues to improve, we know her family continues to post updates online. as we mentioned, there's so much interest as i step out of the shot, these are folks stopping by, leaving a flower, a note, or perhaps lighting a candle. it is a testament of support from the entire roanoke community and the entire country. people have been sending in letters, sending in well wishes, not only for the victims in this, alison parker and adam ward, but vicki gardner. we are told her condition continues to be listed as good. she has undergone several surgeries, at least two of them. lost her right kidney and porti

we're also praying for the recovery of vicki gardner. words cannot express the hurt that we feel for the victims. >> pauley: all right, thank you, jeff. journalists around the country are showing their support for alison parker and adam ward by posting pictures of themselves doing live shots with the hashtag "#westandwithwdbj." parker and ward began as interns at the station. we asked kris van cleave to tell us more about them. >> i just can't believe that she's gone. i can't. >> reporter: chris hurst was supposed to be anchoring the news tonight. instead he's mourning the loss of his colleague and girlfriend. >> alison was a marvelous storyteller with so much promise ahead of her. >> reporter: hurst and parker had been dating for nine months. he said they planned to get married. >> alison was the brightest light i have ever met. she was the funniest, kindest, most beautiful woman that i ever met, and she just happened to love me back. >> reporter: you lost the love of your life today. >> yeah, yeah, without a doubt. >> i'm alison parker

there had been some conflicting reports early in the day soon after this incident that vicki gardner en shot. colleague at the smith mountain lake region chamber of commerce confirmed gardner was shot in the back although no confirmation exactly how many times she had been shot. local hospital representative tells cnn that she underwent emergency surgery today and is now recovering at that hospital. we also know there are a lot of people here praying for her. we just left a vigil if he bethlehem united methodist church and another vigil happening right now. >> what else do we know about her? >> reporter: well, we know her title she was the executive director of the smith mountain lake regional chamber of commerce. however, people who know hearsay that this is more than just her title, she loves this community. takes every opportunity to promote it. and she is a wife, a mother, a grandmother, an artist here and late this evening, john, we received a statement from her employer there at the chamber of commerce saying they are confident that she will recover and they are going stand stro

we are praying for the recovery of vicki gardner. our thoughts and prayers are with the families and with the wdbj news family. words cannot express the hurt we feel. our family is asking the media respect our privacy. a sad family there. i want to ask one more question about this, just about the mindset before we let you go. he express admiration for the virginia tech shooter, for columbine shooters. i always wonder in these circumstances about the danger of copycats. these guys, shooters want attention. this guy is getting attention. how great of a worry is someone else who -- >> totally valid. >> we see it all the time. it's going to continue. here is what we see. here is the pattern. they admire the shooters but they want do something better. bigger. >> live tv. doing it on live tv was the comeuppance. he admired the body count. but no one has done what they have done. they are inspired. they find strength in the action of others. >> and worrisome. thanks for sharing your thoughts. >>> "outfront" next, she was 24, a rising star a

we are also playing for the recovery of vicki gardner. 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 t

she has been identified as vicki gardner. she was apparently shot in the back.he is now in surgery at a local hospital. the dead, 24-year-old alison parker, a reporter at the tv station. she had been dating a anchor at that tv station. there were eight shots that could be heard during the live broadcast before they cut back to the tv studio, heather. then off-camara, we actually hear someone say, oh, my god. the mandating alison parker, anchor at the tv station, sent out number about tweets this morning. one of them saying quote, she was one of the most radiant women i ever met. for some reason she loved me back and loved her parents and wroter. photographer killed, 27-year-old, adam ward, was engaged by the tv producer at the station. this was supposed to be the last day of employment for the tv producer at the station. adam ward, the photographer, told friends, i will get out of the news business. i'm going to do something else. today of course, he was tragically killed just a short time ago. the governor, now saying that they have identified the suspect, form

we are praying for the recovery of vicki gardner. our thoughts and prayers at this time are with the victim's family and with wdbj7. >> earlier ktvu's noelle walker spoke to neighbors and has look into the life of vester flanagan. >> reporter: this average middle class neighborhood woke up stunned. >> sad all over. you know? just really, really, really sad. >> reporter: vester flanagan, the man who shot and killed a reporter and photographer in virginia used to live here in this house. he lives here now and still gets mail for vester flanagan. >> for a person like that to be, you know, used to live here, disgrace. >> soft spoken person. a gentle giant. >> reporter: she was his neighbor. shocked to hear he had anger issues. ready to explode. >> i didn't see those anger issues. i don't know that person. >> vester flanagan grew up in this home in oakland. >> this is totally out of his character. >> neighbor remembers a different person than the one he saw on the news today. >> never seen it coming. you couldn't tell me that he did that.

se encontraba la directora ejecutiva de la cmara regional de comercio de "smith mountain lake", vicki gardnerisparo en la espalda y se encuentra en cirugia. take vo ---las autoridades de virginia dijeron que ya conocian el nombre del atacante y las placas de identificacin de su vehculo... mientras lo buscaban, descubrieron que est herido de bala, su condicin de salud es grave. ---lo que ms ha sorprendido es la identidad del responsable... "vester flanagan", quien trabaj en la estacin de televisin con las dos personas que asesin. ---l fue reportero... conocido al aire como "bryce williams"... take vo ---las autoridades dicen que no saben el motivo... pero que estn haciendo todo lo posible para esclarecer lo ocurrido. facebook katherine katherine ---flanagan era de oakland... estudi radio y televisin en la universidad estatal de san francisco, se gradu en 1995... trabaj en una estacin de noticias de esa ciudad... al parecer, algunos miembros de su familia viven en el este de la baha. lorena ---caterine, la comunidad muy sorprendida por el comportamiento del hombre identificado como el responsab

vicky gardner. you got information. >> she was being interviewed by the 27-year-old journalist, alison parker, who was shot and killed. vicky gardner was transported to a local hospital after the shooting. on the original viewing on air, you could hear screams coming from vicky and we assume alison but certainly from vicky. these women were screaming. this was a different point and that is after the shooting started. so what we think, and i can tell you from watching and moving and not just the still shot, she is getting shot as you are watching that and you can hear the screams. it is disturbing. if you flip the switch and turn it from the advantage point of the shooter and look over the barrel of the gun it is chilling how someone could carry out murder and shoot it with a camera at the same time if in fact he didn't have help we have no idea if he did. but we have no reason to believe there was anybody else there but the shooter. let's bring in a former nypd detective and pat has been able to do

vickie gardner was badly wounded. >> they quickly focused vester flanagan. he worked at the same station and was fired. then in may of 2014 he sued wdbj for discrimination. court records say he was dismissed but he apparently held a grudge. he tweeted his on air name about the reporter claiming alison made racist comments and saying that adam went to hr one time. investigators say he shot himself and he later died in the hospital. jeff marx, the general manager of wdbj says flanigan was a troubled employee from the start. >> how early on did you know that he wasn't fitting in here? >> a few months into his employment. i think we knew he was a live wire, but do you ever see somebody taking up arms and getting -- throwing their own life away in order to prove some sort of point with a violent overkill. >> shortly after the killing someone identifying himself as flanagan faxed a 23-page suicide note to a b bc news. he allegedly praised the mass shootings at virginia tech and columbi columbine. called wednesday's shooting. and added i've been a human powder keg

vicky gardner was updated to good conditions.he was hit in the chest when the others were shot and killed. her husband said he talked to her on the way to the hospital. >> she explained what had happened to her. she didn't know how she survived but she did and that she loved me. >> parker was interviewing gardner for a feature on smith mountain lake. she is in charge of the chamber of commerce there. >> a gun show in roanoke is now the center of controversy because of this shooting. it was scheduled for this weekend. there is a petition going around to cancel it. it has about 290 signatures right now. organizers are asking the roanoke center to cancel out of respect for parker and ward. they say it would show an immense disrespect for the victims as well as their family and friends. >> a man in louisiana shot and killed a police officer with the officer's own gun. they also say the men were cousins according to police in sunset, louisiana. they stabbed three people before that even happened. one of those victims died as well. the

as for the third victim in the shooting, vicki gardner listed in stable condition right now after undergoing emergency surgery for her gunshot wounds. gardner is the executive director of the smith mountain lake regional chamber of commerce. she was being interviewed by parker about tourism in the area when the gun fire erupted. >> as vicki has been a champion for us for the more than a decade, we are going to be a champion for her through this and we are going to get together as a community and stay together and make it through this. >> well, gardner was called a shining light in the community. her family is with her right now at the hospital. >>> president obama did not specifically mention the shooting during an appearance on "today" but white house press secretary josh earnest spoke about the use of guns in america. >> another example of gun violence that is becoming all too common in communities large and small all across the united states, and while there is no peace of legislation that will end all violence in this country, there are some common sense things that only congress can do.

now as far as the other person who was wounded, vicki gardner who is with the local chamber of commerce is in a hospital recovering from her wounds. i'm peggy fox reporting live here at smith mountain lake. >> it could be a long journey for vicki gardner to get better if those wounds are significant. >>> as we found out this evening, vester flanagan had a long troubled job lift at various tv stations. -- history at various tv stations. he was fired from wdbj, but the general manager said there he never thought he'd be capable of something like this. bruce leshan is live where flanagan took his own life after that short chase from the cops. bruce? >> reporter: yeah, derek. the chase really only lasted a couple of minutes, but the troopers thought at one point that this troubled former reporter was going to start shooting at them. vester flanagan hired and fired from a whole series of stations. before twitter took down his page he tweeted angry messages about both the journalist victims, that they were racist or had filed complaints about him. >> he's one of the people who came to mind in

the third person shot this morning vicky gardner she has survived. parker was interviewing her about toy tourism when the shots rang out. gardner is the executive director of the smith mountain lake regional chamber of commerce. she's in stable condition after under going emergency surgery. >>> so again, a difficult day much police say 41-year-old vester lee flanagan who went by bryce williams on the air ambushed tv crew this morning at a shopping center in virginia. he culled reporter alison parker and photographer adam ward and injured the woman who parker was interviewing. williams was a former reporter for that station. police chased him on a virginia highway where they say he turn the gun on himself. he later died at the hospital. we will continue to stay on top of this story and bring you any updates on our website. just head to fox 29.com and look for the latest right there on our home page. >>> to a developing story in mantua two gunman shot a 10-year-old girl at a play ground. she is one of three people injured in that shooting. it happened n

and wounding their guest, vicky gardner. as ward lay dying, his camera captured this image of flanagan. >> double homicide out of franklin county. >> as the police pursued the shooter -- >> suspect is a black male. >> he began live tweeting, first sig citing grievances with parker and ward, and then posting two graphic videos of the shooting that flanagan took as he approached and killed the victims. we're only showing this image from them. a brief high-speed pursuit of flanagan followed. police finding him in his wrecked car, severely wounded from a self-inflicted gunshot. as he was air lifted to the hospital where he eventually died, they went back on the news. >> we have determined through the help of the police and our own employees that alison and adam died this morning shortly after 6:45 when the shots rang out. >> in a 23-page document faxed to abc news in new york just after the shootings, a man claiming to be flanagan said he had been discriminated against for being gay and was motivated by june's shooting at a hist

vicki gardner, who was being interviewed, was hurt. the gunman turned out to be vester flanagan, seen here through the photograph's camera. he was disgruntled former employee known as bryce williams when he worked as a reporter at the station. when he was fired two years ago, he was so angry police were called and escorted him from the building. >> eventually after many incidents of his anger coming to the fore, we dismissed him. >> reporter: state troopers pursued flanagan into northern virginia where he crashed his car and turned the gun on himself. he died a short time later. in another shocking move, flanagan used his own video camera to record the shootings, posting it on social media which was quickly pulled. this is a freeze-frame of that video. abc news says it received a fax two hours after the shooting from someone claiming to be flanagan. the facts complained of racism, bullying and referenced the shootings at columbine, virginia tech, and, most recently, charleston. "the church shooting was the tipping point but my anger ha

the things that common sense dictates. >> vicki gardner had surgery to remove a kidney and part of her colon. a funeral will be held for adam ward tuesday. >>> state of emergency in florida tonight as tropical storm erika approaches. the storm has weakened a bit, but not before leaving its mark on the tiny island of dominica. 15 inches of rain led to destructive flooding like this one. cars, hopes, swept away by the storm tides. 20 people are dead. more than 30 are missing tonight. the country's prime minister say it is island has been set back 20 years. florida now in erika's path. the governor is warning residents to prepare for very heavy rain. >>> former president george w. bush was in new orleans marking the tenth anniversary of katrina. he danced to new orleans jazz at a local school. his administration was sharply criticized for its sluggish response to the catastrophe. katrina hit august 292005. it took days for the national guard to finally arrive. >>> more than 1800 people died. a quarter of a million homes destroyed and a million people were displaced. the ninth ward was the

the woman they were interviewing vicki gardner seriously injured. flanagan was later captured after a crash and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. >> at some point in his life it would appear things were spiraling out of control. >> reporter: the 41-year-old who went by bryce williams on the air had a history of workplace problems, bouncing around from station to station over the years alleging racial discrimination and sexual harassment. in a rambling manifesto sent to abc news after the shootings he wrote "why did i do it? the church shooting in charleston was the tipping point but my anger has been building steadily. i've been a human powder keg for awhile just waiting to go boom." memorials and prayer vigils took over the community. 27-year-old ward was engaged to marry a producer at a station who happened to be in the control room at the moment of the shooting. parker just 24 years old was in love with her boyfriend, wdbj anchor krirs hurst. >> today i lost the love of my love and it was not slow but it was incredibly painful and it was

. >> pam:we are also praying for the recovery of vicki gardner. our thoughts and prayers at this time are with the victims' families. and the w-b-d-j-7 news family. >> pam:words cannot express the hurt that we feel for the victtims. our family is asking that the media respect our privacy." >> pam:tonight. police are still at the shooting scene where alison parker and adam ward were gunned down. reporter anna zook is live in moneta virginia tonight. with more on reaction from there. anna? >> reporter: stunt is what the community is feeling right now trying to grasp exactly, what happened. behind me there is still a heavy police presence would concede some of the signs at the lead the patrick with the shooting happened earlier this morning creek we keep seeing some investigators comment and and out of where the work. the roanoke police mobile command in unit pulling out of the bridgewater plaza. it is still heavy, heavy police presence here. >> reporter: as they are still trying to find a motive as to what happened here. >> reporter: just sent acros

new evidence suggesting the 41-year-old former reporter bryce williams whose real name was vicki gardner was preparing to evade authorities. police finding a wig, sunglasses, a shawl, black hat and three license plates, along with a glock 9 millimeter pistol and six magazines of ammunition inside his getaway car. >> use caution. >> reporter: flanagan committed suicide while on the run from troopers this after killing his two former co-workers on live tv. >> please join us now in a moment of silence. >> reporter: exactly 24 hours later, virginia station wdbj observed a moment of silence for reporter alison parker and her cameraman adam ward. their sudden and tragic deaths uniting a news team still grieving. >> they cry, hug and get the job done. >> reporter: if a note he called himself a ticking time bomb. in a lawsuit against wdbj in 2014 he claimed to be the victim of racial and sexual harassment, allegations the station denies. >> i would defend the actions of every person who was in that newsroom when he was here because i saw the way he behaved. >> reporter: the station did order fla

suddenly shots rang out. >> the woman, vicky gardner, wounded. after an operation she is in stable condition. >> the gunman, vester flanagan posting twitter on facebook and twitter of the nine shots he fired and sent tweets [000:59:56;00]