When a reporter and a photographer were gunned down on live TV Wednesday morning, a Virginia news station was left to mourn its beloved coworkers.
WDBJ reporter Alison Parker and photographer Adam Ward were killed during a live interview in , allegedly by Vester Lee Flanagan, who was known as Bryce Williams when he worked as a reporter at the station.
Ward was engaged to a producer at the station; Parker was in a serious relationship with WDBJ evening anchor Chris Hurst.
"Alison wanted to be known for doing her job, and she will unfortunately be known for doing her job in the most heinous way possible," Hurst told necn in an exclusive interview.
Parker and Hurst had been dating since the start of this year and had just moved in together this month. Hurst said the couple was absolutely in love and discussing marriage.
"She was 24, and had only been doing television news for a couple of years, but I can tell you that she was going to be incredibly successful at what she did," said Hurst. "She was incredibly good at what she did."
Danielle Staub, a reporter at WDBJ7 and a former necn intern, says Parker was the first person to introduce herself to Danielle when she began working at the station in February. She remembers Alison as kind, smart, and committed to serving the viewers of Virginia.
Staub describes Ward as a kind and positive person who was part of their morning A-team.
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Necn asked Staub about the suspected shooter, Vester Lee Flanagan, who went by the name Bryce Williams. He was a former employee of WDBJ7 and claimed in a tweet that Alison had made racist remarks.
"He was a very disturbed individual," Staub explained. "I think that someone would say one thing and he would completely turn it around. Alison would never do anything like that. She was someone with a bright smile, with an outgoing personality, she would take care of anyone, even if they weren't nice to her."
Flanagan died at a Northern Virginia hospital Wednesday afternoon from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
