(NNPA)—Alison Parker, a rookie news reporter at WDJB, the Roanoke, Va. CBS affiliate, had turned 24 just days before she was murdered on Aug. 26. Her work partner, cameraman Adam Ward, was about to move to Charlotte, N.C. because his fiancé, a producer at WDJB, had a new job.
Both Parker and Ward were described in superlative terms by their bosses, she as a “star” who lit up the screen and had a limitless future, he as a capable and thorough cameraman, dedicated to his jobs. By now, most have still photographs or footage of them being murdered on camera as Parker was interviewing Vicki Gardner, who led the local chamber of commerce. She was shot in the back, and has survived.
These on-air murders are about as grisly as they come, and there can be no explanation, except insanity, to account for them. What was wrong with Bryce Williams, whose real name was Vester Flanagan? Why did he stalk and then kill two of his former colleagues? He’d sued his former employer for racial discrimination and had his claim rebuffed. Still, he maintained a sense of outrage because he felt he was treated unfairly.