Manhunt after US journalists killed

Andy Parker, father of Alison Parker, released a statement:

"It's going to be a long investigation because there are so many components and we're right at the beginning stages," said Sheriff Overton, who watched the attack unfold live on TV.

"It really stopped me in my tracks this morning... like many viewers, I couldn't really understand what was happening. It was very emotional."

Virginia state police chased Flanagan, who ran his car off the road on I-66. When troopers arrived at his car, he had a gunshot wound.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Sheriff Bill Overton said he was looking into how the suspect knew the news team was going to be at Bridgewater Plaza before the attack.

"Not sure," the sheriff responds to a reporter's question over what the motive might have been. "It's obvious this gentleman was disturbed in some way, the way things transpired in his life, it would appear things spiralled out of control."

The sheriff also confirms a third victim of the attack, Vicki Gardner, was treated in hospital for "non-life-threatening injuries".

Alison Parker's father Andy Parker told the Washington Post: 

Quote Message: “My grief is unbearable. Is this real? Am I going to wake up? I am crying my eyes out. I don’t know if there’s anybody in this world or another father who could be more proud of their daughter.” from Andy Parker Father of slain journalist Alison Parker

“My grief is unbearable. Is this real? Am I going to wake up? I am crying my eyes out. I don’t know if there’s anybody in this world or another father who could be more proud of their daughter.”

You can watch the press conference live here.

The suspect gunman has died from his injuries, pronounced dead at 13:26 local time, state police tell the Washington Post. But we stress this is unconfirmed. Virginia police will hopefully provide more updates on the situation in a press conference due any time now.

Jeffrey Marks, the head of the news channel, has been speaking to CNN about the suspect gunman, who is believed to have worked at WDBJ7 until he was dismissed two years ago.

"I don't think Alison and that individual even overlapped here, I can't figure out any connection between these people who are some of the kindest people who worked here. This place is in shock, there's a lot of crying and hugging going on."

He said the individual had made allegations against some of the staff previously.

Local media reported Flanagan filed a legal case against his employer WDBJ, alleging discrimination by the whole station, naming most of the staff of his complaint.

The case was dismissed by a judge in July 2014. What else do we know about the suspect?

REUTERS/WDBJ7Copyright: REUTERS/WDBJ7

Police blocked off the interstate highway as they pursued the suspect.

AFPCopyright: AFP

AFPCopyright: AFP

Virginia Senator Mark Warner says "this crime was senseless, and our thoughts are with the loved ones and friends of Alison, Adam, and the whole WDBJ staff," in a statement.

The main interstate highway, I-66, has been closed in both directions, the Virginia department of transport tweets.

TwitterCopyright: Twitter

WDBJ is sharing photos of the pair at work together.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest addressed the shooting during his daily press briefing.

Virginia state police say they pursued the suspect in a car chase after he was spotted on an interstate highway.

APCopyright: AP

The Virginia State Police posted the followingupdateon its Facebook page:

FacebookCopyright: Facebook

Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe says the shooting is "a tragedy for Virginia; it's a tragedy for their families". Speaking earlier to WTOP radio station, he renewed calls for tougher gun laws.

Update: Virginia state police are due to give a press conference at 14:00 local time (19:00 BST) (not 13:00 as previously reported).

Police have swarmed the area where the suspected gunman reportedly shot himself and he is currently being transported to an ambulance, Reuters reports.

Media sources advising people how to turn off Twitter and Facebook "autoplay", which automatically played point-of-view shooting video before the gunman's accounts were taken down.

The third victim of the gunman, identified as Vicki Gardner, is reportedly out of emergency surgery.

"She is currently recovering and is in stable condition," a spokesman for Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital is reported by local newspaper The Roanoke Times as saying. Mrs Gardner was being interviewed about the 50th anniversary of the founding of Smith Mountain Lake, a resort area near the Bridgewater Plaza, when the attack took place.

Who were the victims? Alison Parker, 24, had been a reporter with the WDBJ7 TV station since last year, working on the channel's Mornin' show. In a profile on the channel's website, she said she liked to white-water kayak, play with her parents' dog and attend theatre events. Adam Ward, 27, joined the station as a cameraman in 2011. He recently got engaged to one of the producers at WDBJ, Melissa Ott.

WDBJ-TV7Copyright: WDBJ-TV7

Dispatches from BBC reporters:

WDBJ reporters are still on air, reporting about the deaths of their own colleagues.

BBC reporter told to delete footage:

The suspected gunman has killed himself on the I-66, an interstate highway, in Fauquier County, state police are quoted by WDBJ7 TV as saying.

Terry McAuliffe's office confirms they ID'd the suspect Vester Lee Flanagan earlier this morning, walking back original line that the governor was "speculating" about the identity of the gunman.

Williams was reported to have joined the WDBJ news channel "as a multimedia journalist and general assignment reporter" in April 2012. He previously worked as a reporter at a number of local news stations in the southern US.

ABC News says it has received a 23-page fax from someone claiming to be Bryce Williams, which the news channel has turned over to the authorities. Bryce Williams is believed to be the professional name used for Vester Lee Flanagan. The picture below was on the Twitter account of Mr Williams.

TwitterCopyright: Twitter

Jeffrey Marks, the head of WDBJ7 TV, said hours after the shooting that police had advised the station's employees to stay inside, the Associated Press news agency reports. "Police have advised us that as long as this person is on the loose, we should stay in the building. We have police protection."

Local schools are reported to be in lockdown as Virginia state police try to find the gunman.

CBS via EVNCopyright: CBS via EVN

A Twitter account that appears to belong to the suspect has been posting material which shows the shooting from the point of view of the gunman. The Twitter account has already been suspended.

The attack took place at a large shopping centre - the Bridgewater Plaza - in Bedford County, about 120 miles (190 km) from the Virginia state capital of Richmond. Parker and Ward were filming for their morning news show at the shopping and recreational centre.

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Reaction has been pouring in, with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Organisation for the Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) both condemning the attack. At least five journalists have been killed in the US since 1992, says the CPJ. So far this year, 39 journalists have been killed around the world.

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe's office "knows who they are looking for":

Terry McAuliffe's office tells the BBC:

Cameraman Adam Ward was to be married to fiancee Melissa Ott and recently proposed to her at the Newseum in Washington DC in the spring.

Pictures on his Facebook show the two together at football games at his alma mater Virginia Tech University and Penn State University.

FacebookCopyright: Facebook

FacebookCopyright: Facebook

Virginia state police have reportedly denied they are chasing the suspect in a vehicle, as has being reported widely on Twitter. Henry Graff, a local reporter for WVIR-TV, tweeted the following statement:

OtherCopyright: Other

WDBJ-TV general manager Jeffrey Marks appeared soon after the incident on air, telling viewers the shooting of two of the station's employees was "a terrible crime against two fine journalists".

Ms Parker was starting an 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 captures what appears to be a fleeting image of the gunman, who is wearing black trousers and a blue top - and holding a handgun. You can watch some of it here.

Chris Hurst, another reporter for WBDJ7, revealed on Twitter that he and Parker had been dating and had just moved in together, and wanted to get married. 

The office of the governor tells the BBC they have not yet confirmed the identity of the suspect.

Local news station WHSV has shared a blurry still photo of the alleged gunman.

Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe says the gunman appeared to be a disgruntled former employee from the station. "Not a case of terrorism. It is a criminal case," he told Washington radio station WTOP.

The woman who Parker was interviewing at the lakeside resort in the town of Moneta was reportedly wounded in the attack.

Alison Parker had an active social media presence, recently posting on her accounts on Twitter and Facebook, and appeared to be an enthusiastic young reporter. She had just celebrated her 24th birthday.

Police say they are still searching for the suspect. Vannette Seward, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said her department was "involved in the manhunt for the suspect in the shooting".

Asked about CNN reports that authorities have an ID of the suspect and licence plate number, she told the BBC: "We don't have any information on that. It's still an active investigation."

WDBJCopyright: WDBJ

Reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27, were the two killed in the attack. Parker had been working as the station's morning news reporter since the end of last year. She previously worked for at another local news channel, WCTI, in North Carolina.

The two journalists worked for a CBS affiliate station, WDBJ7, in Roanoke, Virginia. The station's general manager, Jeff Marks, made an emotional announcement live on air about the journalists' deaths. "I cannot tell you how much they were loved by the WDBJ7 team... our hearts are broken," he told viewers.

"We do not know the motive, we do not know who the killer is," he added.

Welcome to the BBC's live coverage as police search for the killer of a US reporter and cameraman who were both shot dead as they broadcast a live interview at around 06:45 local time (11:45 GMT) at a shopping mall in Virginia.