On a summer morning in Moneta, Virginia, 24-year-old Caucasian female television reporter Alison Bailey Parker was conducting a live interview at Bridgewater Plaza. It was August 26, 2015, and Parker, a journalist for the local CBS affiliate WDBJ7, was interviewing Vicki Gardner, the executive director of the local chamber of commerce, for a segment on tourism. Alongside her was 27-year-old cameraman Adam Ward, capturing the interview for the morning news broadcast. The serene scene was shattered at approximately 6:45 a.m. when a gunman opened fire. Parker and Ward were shot and died at the scene. Gardner was also shot but survived the attack. The shocking event was broadcast live, and Ward's camera captured a fleeting image of the shooter as it fell to the ground.
The assailant was quickly identified as Vester Lee Flanagan II, a 41-year-old former reporter for WDBJ who used the on-air name Bryce Williams. Flanagan was described as a disgruntled employee who had been fired from the station in 2013 for disruptive conduct and poor performance. In the hours following the shooting, a manhunt ensued. Flanagan took to social media, posting his own video of the attack and tweeting about his grievances against his former colleagues. He alleged that Parker had made racist comments and that Ward had reported him to human resources after they had worked together.
Flanagan had a history of workplace conflicts and had previously filed a lawsuit against a former employer for racial discrimination. He also sent a 23-page manifesto to ABC News, in which he cited the Charleston church shooting as a 'tipping point' and expressed admiration for other mass murderers. He claimed that as a Black, gay man, he had been a victim of discrimination and sexual harassment. After a police chase that spanned several hours, law enforcement cornered Flanagan. Before he could be apprehended, he shot himself and later died at a hospital from the self-inflicted gunshot wound.
