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Katie Zavadski

• MIT

BREAKING

08.26.159:31 AM ET

Virginia TV Murders: Reporter Shot While Running Away; Cameraman's Fiancée Watched Him Die

Two journalists were shot on live television this morning by a man dressed in all black, suspected to be a disgruntled employee.

WDBJ-TV reporter Alison Parker was shot to death early Wednesday while running away from a gunman after he shot her cameraman, Adam Ward. Station Manager Jeffrey A. Marks told CNN that Ward’s fiancée, a fellow producer at the station, watched him die on air. “It was her last day. She was moving on to a station in Charlotte,” Marks said, adding that they were planning to hold a celebration in her honor. Ward was reportedly planning to follow her soon.

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The CBS affiliate was filming an interview in Moneta, Virginia, when the TV broadcast was interrupted by the sound of gunfire. Parker, 24, and Ward, 27, both died. A third victim, identified as Vicki Gardner of the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce. Police say they are hunting for the shooter, who was captured on the video by the slain cameraman. The gunman has not been identified.

In news station footage of the moments leading up to the attack, Parker is seen interviewing a woman about drawing tourism to a Roanoke-area attraction. Shots erupt suddenly, and Parker is heard screaming before the shot cuts away to the bewildered anchor. Warning: The video below is disturbingly graphic.

People from around the globe said they were praying for Parker, Ward, and their families on her Facebook page. In a short bio posted on the page, Parker revealed that she grew up in Martinsville, Virginia, and had interned at WDBJ7 before landing a job there. Ward was a graduate of Virginia Tech. Facebook photos show him proposing to fiancée Melissa Ott.

Parker’s fiancé, a fellow reporter at the station, tweeted a moving tribute to her Wednesday morning. “She was the most radiant woman I ever met. And for some reason she loved me back. She loved her family, her parents and her brother,” Chris Hurst wrote. “We were together almost nine months. It was the best nine months of our lives. We wanted to get married. We just celebrated her 24th birthday.”