Update: The New York Times is now reporting that the suspected shooter, Vester Lee Flanagan II, has died after succumbing to a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Update 2: A "manifesto" that Flanagan faxed to ABC News suggests that the shooting was a symbolic retaliation for the Charleston church massacre. Also, Flanagan says he was "attacked for being a black, gay man."
The main suspect in this morning's tragic on-air shooting of a reporter and her videographer in Virginia is from Oakland, and worked for years at San Francisco's CBS affiliate, KPIX. According to CBS 5 the suspect, Vester Lee Flanagan II, may have been a disgruntled employee.
The shooting took place in Franklin County, Virginia.
Reporter Alison Parker, 24, and videographer Adam Ward, 27, both worked for Virginia's WDBJ 7 and were killed in the attack. A third victim, Vicki Gardner, who was being interviewed on camera at the time, is reportedly in stable condition after undergoing surgery.
After initial reports that Flanagan had committed suicide, it is now being reported that Flanagan survived the self-inflicted gunshot wound, and is in critical condition.
JUST IN: Augusta Sheriff's Office confirms VSP advises there is no longer a threat to the community in search for shooting suspect.
— NBC29 (@NBC29) August 26, 2015
Flanagan graduated SF State with a BA in Broadcast Journalism in 1995, and worked as an intern at KPIX from 1993 to 1995.
The Chronicle reports that Flanagan also worked for PG&E as a customer service rep from 2001 to 2002. KPIX had a source saying that Flanagan was originally from Vallejo, but the Chronicle reports he was from Oakland.
His motives for the shooting are unclear, but he claimed that Parker made "racist comments," and that Ward had reported him to HR after working with him one time.
This all comes from a now suspended Twitter account in which, shortly after the shooting, Flanagan appears to be touting the fact that he had first-person video of the shooting. (See a cache of the Twitter account here.)
CBS 5 posted the following screenshot.
Jeff Marks, the general manager of WDBJ spoke on the station's noon broadcast today saying, "Vester was an unhappy man. He had a reputation for being difficult to work with."
He added, "I’m not really sure if I want him to live or die. If he dies, he took the coward’s way out."
Previously: Virginia TV Reporter, Cameraman Fatally Shot During Live Report [DCist]
