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Man kills self, two US journalists during live TV broadcast [PHOTO]


A man, who shot two journalists on live TV in the US state of Virginia, has died after shooting himself, the police say.

BBC reports that Vester Lee Flanagan, 41, an ex-employee of WDBJ7 TV known professionally as Bryce Williams, was in a car that was surrounded by police following a chase.

WDBJ7 TV reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward were killed some seven hours earlier during an interview in the town of Moneta.

The gunman later uploaded a video of himself opening fire at close range.

The White House has urged Congress to rapidly pass gun control laws in the wake of this latest shooting in the US.

Virginia State Police said the suspect’s vehicle had been spotted on the Interstate 66 highway following the shooting, and crashed off the road after being pursued by officers.

“Troopers approached the vehicle and found the male driver suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the force said in a statement.

He later died in hospital, a police spokesman said.

The ambulance and paramedics are surrounded by police officers and vehicles.

The Twitter account of Flanagan suggested he had held a grudge against Mr Ward, 27, and Ms Parker, 24.

Police said his utterances on social media the previous evening suggested the attack was pre-planned.

The attack on the journalists took place at a large shopping centre, Bridgewater Plaza, near Smith Mountain Lake.

Bryce WilliamsImage caption The Twitter and Facebook accounts of Bryce Williams have been suspended.

Ms Parker was starting a breakfast TV interview about tourism at the shopping centre when suddenly shots rang out, the camera spun and dropped to the ground, and her screams could be heard.

The footage then captured what appeared to be a fleeting image of the gunman, who was wearing black trousers and a blue top – and holding a handgun.

The woman, who was being interviewed, Vicki Gardner of the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce, survived the attack and is in a stable condition in hospital following surgery.

They showed him raising a handgun, training it on the trio, and opening fire 14 times. The TV station’s own footage of the attack recorded only eight of the shots.

“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,” he said.

He added that Ms Parker had worked on a regular basis with Mr Ward, and that he was heartbroken for his fiancee, a producer at the station.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest, speaking to reporters, urged the passing of new gun control laws.

“There are some common sense things that only Congress can do that we know would have a tangible impact on reducing gun violence in this country,” he said.

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