Fourth update: The Post reports that the gunman, Vester Lee Flanagan died of his self-inflicted gunshot wound at 1:26 p.m.

Shortly after Flanagan was identified as the shooter, WDBJ general manager Jeff Marks went on air to discuss his tenure at the station. Flanagan joined the station in March of 2012 and was fired less than a year later in February of 2013.

“Vesper was an unhappy man,” Marks said. “We employed him as a reporter, and he had some talent in that respect, and some experience, although he had been out of the business for a while when we hired him here. He quickly gathered a reputation as someone who was difficult to work with.

Marks said that when Flanagan was dismissed in 2013, he “did not that [it] well” and had to be escorted out of the station by police.

Third update: WDBJ is now reporting that Flanagan has not died from his self-inflected gunshot wound and is in “very critical condition.”

Meanwhile, the third victim in the shooting, Vicki Gardner, is reportedly out of surgery and in stable condition.

Second update: Authorities say that Flanagan, has shot himself on I-66 in Fauquier County, Va. headed eastbound.

Update: In an interview WTOP, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe says that authorities believe the gunman “was a disgruntled employee.”

Police are still searching for the suspect, who has been identified as Vester Lee Flanagan, a former WDBJ reporter whose on-air name is Bryce Williams. (See more below.)

Original post:

A reporter and videographer for CBS affiliate WDBJ7 in Roanoke, Virginia were fatally shot during a live report this morning.

WDBJ7 confirms that reporter Alison Parker and videographer Adam Ward were in the middle of a live report just before 7 a.m. when a shooter opened fire, killing both of them. Parker and Ward were filming a live segment at Bridgewater Plaza in Smith Water Lake.

Few details are immediately available as authorities are investigating what exactly happened, but police say they are searching for a man who shot multiple people.

The entire incident was caught on camera as it unfolded. The video, which is extremely disturbing, shows Parker interviewing a subject when the sound of gunshots abruptly interrupts the news cast. “Oh my God!” Parker screams as her and her interview subject scramble for safety just as the camera drops and the feed cuts back to a visibly shaken WDBJ7 news anchor.

A screenshot floating around the Internet briefly captures the gunman on camera, as he appears to be pointing his weapon at Ward.

The Roanoke Times reports that the interview subject, Vicki Gardner, was shot in the back and is currently in surgery.

Both 24-year-old Parker and 27-year-old Ward were romantically involved with two other members of the WDBJ7 team. Ward was engaged to WDBJ7 morning producer Melissa Ott, whose last day at the station was today. According to the Roanoke Times, Ward and Ott were planning to leave the area soon.

Parker was in a relationship with WDBJ evening co-anchor Chris Hurs — he said on Twitter they were “in love” and just moved in together.

On Twitter, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe wrote that he’s “heartbroken over [the] senseless murders,” adding that both state police and local law agencies are working to capture the suspect.

Update: The suspect is Vester Lee Flanagan, whose on-air name was Bryce Williams, a former WDBJ reporter. On his @Bryce_Williams7 Twitter page, Flanagan has posted two extremely disturbing videos of the shooting from his point-of-view. The page has been suspended, but here are some of his complaints prior to the video posts:

ABC reports that they’ve received a 23-page fax from Flanagan that they have handed over to authorities.

Additional reporting by Jen Chung.

Filed Under: adam ward, alison parker, virginia, virginia shooting, wbdj7,