Vester Lee Flanagan, who shot dead two Virginia journalists on live TV, apparently sent a rambling fax to ABC News describing himself as a “human powder keg” shortly after the attack.
Vester Flanagan, who had been dismissed by the WDBJ7 TV, killed himself after a police chase.
In the fax, a man said to be Vester Flanagan describes suffering discrimination and bullying for being gay and black.
The White House said Wednesday’s attack showed the need for better gun control.
The two people killed were WDBJ7 reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27.
WDBJ7 manager Jeff Marks said: “I cannot tell you how much they were loved.”
He said Vester Flanagan was an “unhappy man” who had to be escorted from the WDBJ7 building after being dismissed in 2013.
Alison Parker was conducting a live interview with a guest on tourism early on August 26 in the town of Moneta when the incident occurred.
Suddenly, shots rang out, and viewers saw the camera fall to the ground. Screams could be heard and the footage captured a brief glimpse of the gunman.
The station cut back to the studio – journalists would later have to continue broadcasting on the deaths of two of their colleagues.
Hours later, Vester Flanagan posted footage online of himself opening fire at close range, although this was later removed.
The woman who was interviewed at the time of the attack, Vicki Gardner of the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce, is in a stable condition in hospital following surgery.
ABC News said it received a 23-page fax, apparently sent by Vester Flanagan under his professional name Bryce Williams later on Wednesday, in which he said his anger had been “building steadily” and that he had become “human powder keg” that was “waiting to go BOOM!!!!”
The writer says he suffered racism and homophobia at work, and expresses admiration for the teenagers who killed 13 people at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999.
Vester Falanagan also said the attack in Charleston, South Carolina, in which nine black churchgoers were killed in June this year, was what “sent me over the top”.
Franklin County Sheriff Bill Overton said the ABC fax was being used by investigators, adding: “It’s obvious… this gentleman was disturbed in some way.”
Late on Wednesday, a representative for Vester Flanagan’s family issued a statement expressing their “deepest condolences to the families of Alison Parker and Adam Ward”.
“Our thoughts and prayers at this time are with the victim’s families and with WDBJ television station family,” the statement added.
President Barack Obama repeated his call for tougher gun laws after the attack.
“We’re willing to spend trillions of dollars to prevent terrorist activities, but we haven’t been willing so far at least to impose some common sense gun safety measures,” he said.
Vester Lee Flanagan, the man who shot dead two journalists on live TV in Virginia, has died after shooting himself, police confirmed.
Vester Lee Flanagan, 41, a former employee of WDBJ7 TV known professionally as Bryce Williams, was in a car that was surrounded by police following a chase.
WDBJ7 TV reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward were killed some seven hours earlier during an interview in the town of Moneta.
Vester Lee Flanagan later uploaded a video of himself opening fire at close range.
The White House has urged Congress to rapidly pass gun control laws in the wake of this latest shooting in the US.
Virginia State Police said Vester Lee Flanagan’s car had been spotted on I- 66 following the shooting, and crashed off the road after being pursued by officers.
“Troopers approached the vehicle and found the male driver suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the force said in a statement.
The suspect later died in hospital, a police spokesman said.
Vester Lee Flanagan’s Twitter account suggested he had held a grudge against Adam Ward, 27, and Alison Parker, 24.
Police said his utterances on social media the previous evening suggested the attack was pre-planned.
The attack on the journalists took place at a large shopping centre, Bridgewater Plaza, near Smith Mountain Lake.
Alison Parker was starting a breakfast TV interview about tourism at the shopping centre when suddenly shots rang out, the camera spun and dropped to the ground, and her screams could be heard.
The footage then captured what appeared to be a fleeting image of the gunman, who was wearing black trousers and a blue top – and holding a handgun.
The woman who was being interviewed, later identified as Vicki Gardner of the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce, survived the attack and is in a stable condition in hospital following surgery.
Bryce Williams’s Twitter and Facebook feeds, which have now been suspended, subsequently showed video shot by the gunman.
Videos showed him raising a handgun, training it on the trio, and opening fire 14 times. The TV station’s own footage of the attack recorded only eight of the shots.
Staff at the WDBJ7 TV, which continued broadcasting after the live report, expressed shock and sadness at the loss of their colleagues.
The station’s president and general manager, Jeffrey Marks, announced on air: “Alison and Adam died this morning at 06:45 shortly after the shots rang out.
“I cannot tell you how much they were loved by the WDBJ7 team… our hearts are broken.”
Jeffrey Marks described Bryce Williams as “an unhappy man” who was “difficult to work with” and had to be escorted from the TV station by police officers when he was finally dismissed.
A complaint filed against the station with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by the suspect had been dismissed, Jeffrey Marks added.
WDBJ7 anchor Chris Hurst revealed that he and Alison Parker had been in a relationship and had planned to marry.
“We were together almost nine months. It was the best nine months of our lives. We wanted to get married. We just celebrated her 24th birthday.
“She was the most radiant woman I ever met. And for some reason she loved me back. She loved her family, her parents and her brother.”
Chris Hurst added that Alison Parker had worked on a regular basis with Adam Ward, and that he was heartbroken for his fiancée, a producer at the station.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest, speaking to reporters, urged the passing of new gun control laws.
“There are some common sense things that only Congress can do that we know would have a tangible impact on reducing gun violence in this country,” he said.
Virginia’s WDBJ7 TV reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward have been shot dead during a live report in the town of Moneta.
Alison Parker, 24, and Adam Ward, 27, were killed during an interview, the TV station said.
A man, apparently a disgruntled former employee of WDBJ7 TV, uploaded a video of himself shooting the reporter at close range on social media.
Augusta County Sheriff’s Office has named the suspect as Vester Lee Flanagan.
Known professionally as Bryce Williams, Vester Lee Flanagan is a former WDBJ7 staff member and described by police as a “person of interest”. His Twitter and Facebook accounts have now been suspended.
During the live broadcast, shots and Alison Parker’s screams could be heard, and the camera fell to the ground.
State police have denied reports that a pursuit is under way.
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe said in a statement: “We believe it was a disgruntled employee who fired at the TV crew. Not a case of terrorism. It is a criminal case.”
The attack took place at a large shopping centre, Bridgewater Plaza, near Smith Mountain Lake.
Alison Parker was starting a breakfast TV interview about tourism at the shopping centre when suddenly eight shots rang out, the camera spun and dropped to the ground, and her screams could be heard.
The footage then captures what appears to be a fleeting image of the gunman, who is wearing black trousers and a blue top – and holding a handgun.
The station said the woman who was being interviewed, Vicki Gardner of the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce, had survived the attack but was in hospital and required surgery.
“Alison and Adam died this morning at 06:45 shortly after the shots rang out. We do not know the motive or who the suspect or the killer is,” the station’s president and general manager, Jeffrey Marks, announced on air.
“I cannot tell you how much they were loved by the WDBJ7 team… our hearts are broken,” he said.
Jeffrey Marks added that the station’s building was in lockdown, under police protection.
“Police have advised us that as long as this person is on the loose, we should stay in the building. We have police protection,” he told the Associated Press news agency.
WDBJ7 anchor Chris Hurst revealed that he and Alison Parker had been in a relationship and had planned to marry.
“We didn’t share this publicly, but @AParkerWDBJ7 and I were very much in love. We just moved in together. I am numb,” he said on Twitter.
“We were together almost nine months. It was the best nine months of our lives. We wanted to get married. We just celebrated her 24th birthday.
“She was the most radiant woman I ever met. And for some reason she loved me back. She loved her family, her parents and her brother.”
Chris Hurst added that Alison Parker had worked on a regular basis with Adam Ward, and that he was heartbroken for his fiancée, a producer at the station.
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