5 SHOCKING FACTS ABOUT the news reporter shooter Bryce Williams
1. He Posted Video He Recorded of the Shooting on Social Media
A screengrab of the video posted by Flanagan shows him standing in front of Parker before opening fire. (Facebook)
He posted video of the shooting on his Facebook and Twitter pages. The video shows him approaching the victims, and pointing a gun at them. He is behind them for several moments as Parker interviews Gardner. He holds the gun out until Ward turns the camera back toward Parker and Gardner, and then begins firing. The camera then shakes and drops as he opens fire. The camera continues recording, with a black screen, as screams and several more gunshots are heard.
WARNING: The video below shows the gunman opening fire. Viewer discretion is advised.
The shooting was also broadcast live on the air. That video is below, and again, is disturbing:
The shooting happened at about 6:45 a.m. Virginia State Police said his vehicle was spotted on Interstate 66 and tried to make a traffic stop.
“The suspect vehicle refused to stop and sped away from the trooper. Minutes later, the suspect vehicle ran off the road and crashed,” state police said in a statement. “The troopers approached the vehicle and found the male driver suffering from a gunshot wound. He is being transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries.
He also posted his apparent motive for the shootings on Twitter:
(Twitter)
The Twitter account has been suspended.
Vester Lee Flanagan: Photos of WDBJ-TV News Crew Shooter
Vester Lee Flanagan, AKA Bryce Williams, is the alleged shooter who killed reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward of WDBJ-TV live on-air in Moneta, Virginia.
2. He Told ABC News He Was Inspired by the Charleston Church Shooting & Was a ‘Powder Keg’
Flanagan went by Bryce Williams while on the air for WDBJ.
On his Twitter account, he said Parker made racist comments. He also said Adam Ward went to human resources on him.
ABC News said it received a 23-page fax from someone named Bryce Williams after the shooting. ABC said it has shared the fax with police, and posted some of its contents Wednesday afternoon. The fax came about two hours after the shooting.
In the fax, Flanagan wrote, “Why did I do it? I put down a deposit for a gun on 6/19/15. The Church shooting in Charleston happened on 6/17/15 … What sent me over the top was the church shooting. And my hollow point bullets have the victims’ initials on them.”
He also referenced Virginia Tech shooter Seuing Hui Choi, calling him “his boy,” and expressed admiration for the Columbine High School shooters.
Flanagan wrote that he suffered racial discrimination, sexual harassment and bullying at work, because he was a gay black man.
“Yes, it will sound like I am angry…I am. And I have every right to be. But when I leave this Earth, the only emotion I want to feel is peace,” he wrote. “The church shooting was the tipping point…but my anger has been building steadily…I’ve been a human powder keg for a while…just waiting to go BOOM!!!!”
WATCH: Gunman Opens Fire on News Crew on Live TV in Moneta, Virginia
A gunman opened fire on a news crew in Moneta, Virginia, during an interview Wednesday morning on live TV at the Bridgewater Plaza.
3. He Was Fired by WDBJ in 2013 & Was Escorted From the Building by Police
(Twitter)
Flanagan, often using the on-air name Bryce Williams, has worked at several news stations around the country, according to his LinkedIn page.
He worked at WDBJ from March 2012 to February 2013.
“Vester was an unhappy man. We employed him as a reporter and he had some talent in that respect and some experience,” WDBJ General Manager Jeff Marks said on the air. “He quickly gathered a reputation of someone who was difficult to work with. He was sort of looking out to people to say things he could take offense to. Eventually, after many incidents of his anger, we dismissed him. He did not take that well. We had to call police to escort him from the building.”
Video from his career as a reporter was posted on YouTube:
Flanagan is originally from California and graduated from San Francisco State University. He previously worked at WNCT-TV as a reporter and anchor, WTWC-TV, WTOC-TV, KMID-TV and KPIX-TV.
Adam Ward: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Adam Ward, a 27-year-old cameraman at WDBJ-TV, was killed along with reporter Alison Parker during a shooting on live TV in Moneta, Virginia.
4. He Was a Jehovah’s Witness & Worked as a ‘High Paid Companion’
Flanagan posted this just days before the shooting. (Twitter)
Flanagan was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, according to his Twitter page.
He also said he once worked as a “high paid companion,” tweeting, “Hell yeah I’ve been a high paid ‘companion.’ You wish u could too!! Lol”
Flanagan joined Twitter on August 12 and posted pictures from his high school graduation, from his time as a model and from other jobs he has held, in the days leading up to the shooting.
Alison Parker Photos: Pictures of WDBJ Reporter Who Was Killed on TV
Alison Parker is the 24-year-old reporter who was killed live on TV for WDBJ in Virginia.
5. He Sued a Station Where He Previously Worked for Racial Discrimination
Flanagan posted this photo of a newspaper article about the lawsuit to Twitter just days before the shooting. (Twitter)
Flanagan previously sued a news station where he worked for racial discrimination.
According to federal court records, he sued WTWC-TV, a Tallahassee, Florida station, in 2000 for “discrimination and retaliation.” The case was settled, but details of the settlement weren’t immediately available.
An allegation made in a lawsuit by Vester Lee Flanagan.
He posted a photo of a newspaper article about the lawsuit on his Twitter page just days before the shooting. Flanagan claimed in the lawsuit that he encountered racism while at the news station. He said he was called a “monkey” by a producer in 1999, and that another black tape operator was told to “stop talking ebonics.”
Read the lawsuit below:
Flanagan had also filed an EEOC complaint against WDBJ after he was fired, seeking $15,000 in damages, but that was dismissed.
