Adam Ward and Alison Parker

Pictured with Alison

**Adam Ward** (May 10, 1988 – August 26, 2015) and **Alison Parker** (August 19, 1991 – August 26, 2015) were a cameraman and a reporter for WDBJ7 respectively. They were shot by a former employee of the news station during a live broadcast on August 26, 2015.

## Events

### Life

Adam Laing Ward was born on May 10, 1988 in Salem, Virginia. He was one of three children.

Alison Bailey Parker was born on August 19, 1991 in Martinsville, Virginia to Andy and Barbara Parker. She was one of two children.

Adam began working at local news station WDBJ7 as an intern while still in college. A former co-worker called him "the most enthusiastic intern that I ever had in 23 years of mentoring kids in that department."

Alison had been working as a reporter for WDBJ7 and had been dating Chris Hurst, one of the anchors. Chris later wrote on Twitter, "She was the most radiant woman I ever met. And for some reason she loved me back."

Adam was engaged to a producer at WDBJ7, Melissa Ott. He and Melissa were moving to Charlotte, North Carolina and August 26 would be their last day working for the station.

### Shooting on live TV

On August 26, 2015 in Moneta, Virginia, Alison Parker, 24, and Adam Ward, 27, were conducting a live interview for a morning news piece on the 50th anniversary of Smith Mountain Lake. At 6:45 a.m., Alison, Adam and the woman being interviewed, Vicki Gardner, were shot. The broadcast continued far enough to see Alison scream and stumble backward as the camera falls to the floor. Eight shots are heard before the broadcast cuts back to the shocked anchor at the studio, Kimberly McBroom.

Shortly after the shooting, a video of the shooting is posted on Twitter by a man named Vester Flanagan, a former employee of the news station that hadn't worked there since 2013. The video, filmed from a body camera, shows the gunman waiting until Alison and Adam were on air before raising a handgun and firing at them and Vicki.

Both of Flanagan's Twitter accounts, personal and professional, were shut down within hours of the shooting by Twitter.

Alison and Adam were both pronounced deceased at the scene. Vicki Gardner was wounded, underwent emergency surgery and ultimately survived.

Almost two hours after the shootings, a 23-page manifesto was faxed to ABC News' headquarters in New York, apparently from Flanagan. The document described the Charleston church shooting, where nine black people were killed by a white supremacist during a Bible study group. ABC News reported that a man claiming to be Bryce Williams, Flanagan's pseudonym, had contacted the network several times in the last few weeks, saying he had a story for them. He never said what the story was.

In the fax message Flanagan said, "Why did I do it? I was already on the edge. The church shooting was a tipping point. The victims' initials are written on the bullets." Flanagan also spoke of a race war, said Jehovah had told him to act, and spoke admiringly of the Columbine High School killers and the Virginia Tech gunman. At one point, he called his document a "Suicide Note for Friends and Family."

Flanagan alleges in his manifesto that he was repeatedly harassed, bullied and discriminated against for being black and gay. On Twitter, he made similar allegations of racism and harassment, saying he also made a complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Hours later, Flanagan was cornered by police on a highway about 200 mi (320 km) away. He shot himself in the head and died later in hospital two hours later.

### Aftermath

Adam is buried at Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens in Roanoke, Virginia. Alison was cremated.

Adam is currently survived by his parents and two siblings. Alison is currently survived by her parents and brother.

## News

*For news articles on Adam Ward and Alison Parker, see here.*

## External links

* Adam Laing Ward (1988-2015) • Find A Grave
* Alison Bailey Parker (1991-2015) • Find A Grave
* Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward • Wikipedia
* Parker family tree • Ancestry (paywall)
* Ward family tree • Ancestry (paywall)

## In popular media

### Podcasts

* Sword and Scale: Episode 52 (21 September 2015)

## Sources

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ward family tree • Ancestry (paywall)
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Parker family tree • Ancestry (paywall)
3. ↑ 8 November 2017: Chris Hurst, Whose Girlfriend Was Fatally Shot on Air, Defeats N.R.A.-Backed Opponent • The New York Times
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 26 August 2015: Ex-Broadcaster Kills 2 on Air in Virginia Shooting; Takes Own Life • The New York Times
5. ↑ Adam Laing Ward (1988-2015) • Find A Grave
6. ↑ Alison Bailey Parker (1991-2015) • Find A Grave