This Is WDBJ7's Moving Tribute to Virginia Shooting Victims Alison Parker and Adam Ward

Impact

On Wednesday morning, a lone gunman fatally shot Alison Parker, a 24-year-old journalist, and Adam Ward, the 27-year-old cameraman, live on air in Moneto, Virginia, at the Bridgewater Plaza shopping center. 

Later that morning, WDBJ7, the station where Parker and Ward worked, aired a moving tribute to both shortly after their deaths.

Jeff Marks, WDBJ7 general manager, spoke of Parker, saying she "brightened up every room." "No matter what was going on, she was a positive person," he said in the interview.

Natasha Noman/Mic/YouTube

Another colleague of Parker and Ward's, Leo Hirsbrunner, described the two as a lively and positive duo. "We get here really early in the morning ... and when we get in, they just make the newsroom come alive," he said.

Natasha Noman/Mic/YouTube

The shooting was reportedly committed by 41-year-old Vester Lee Flanagan, a former employee who cited racism as his motivation. (Flanagan used the name Bryce Williams professionally.) A now-suspended Twitter account allegedly belonging to the shooter included this Tweet before posting graphic videos of the shooting.

Twitter

Here are excerpts of the tribute:

Aug. 26, 2015, 12:29 p.m.: This story has been updated.