Moneta, VA – Virginia TV Crew Killer Had Extra License Plates, Ammo In Getaway Car

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    A getaway car of suspected gunman Vester L. Flanagan  sits on a flatbed tow truck before being towed away on highway I-66 in Fauquier County, Virginia August 26, 2015.REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueMoneta, VA – The man wanted in the on-air shootings of a local television reporter and videographer was carrying extra license plates, a wig, sunglasses, ammunition and a hat when police tried to pull over his rental car.

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    A search warrant return for the car driven by Vester Flanagan on Wednesday in Fauquier County shows an inventory of the contents of the silver Chevrolet Sonic sedan. Police obtained the warrant and searched the car after they tried to pull Flanagan over. He ran off the road and shot himself, dying a short time later at a hospital.

    Flanagan was traveling with a Glock pistol with multiple magazines and ammunition. He carried a white iPhone, as well as letters, notes, cards and a to-do list. It’s not clear what the to-do list said.

    Police said they found a “briefcase w/3 license plates, wig, shawl, umbrella, sunglasses,” as well as a black hat.

    Virginia State Police wrote that Flanagan’s offenses included capital murder, first- and second-degree murder, aggravated malicious wounding, the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, reckless handling of a firearm and disregarding law enforcement. In addition to Alison Parker and Adam Ward, who died early Wednesday, Flanagan shot a third person who survived.

    Police were granted the warrant to search Flanagan’s car after he refused Wednesday to pull over in Fauquier (faw-KEER) County, then ran off the road and shot himself. He died about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at a trauma center.
    A picture of slain journalists Alison Parker and Adam Ward is seen next to candles at a memorial outside of the offices for WDBJ7 in Roanoke, Virginia August 27, 2015. REUTERS
    The disgruntled former reporter, Vester Flanagan sued the station a month after he was fired in early 2013, claiming racial discrimination.

    Court documents from the lawsuit say the station fired Vester Lee Flanagan for poor performance and an unending stream of conflicts with co-workers.

    When Flanagan was fired, he refused to leave and the station called police. New director Dan Dennison wrote that as Flanagan was finally being escorted out, he placed a wooden cross in Dennison’s hand and told him, “You’ll need this.”

    The documents say cameraman Adam Ward recorded the incident and that Flanagan insults him and flips off the camera.

    In the suit, Flanagan, who is black, frequently mentions a watermelon that he saw at the station that he perceived as a racial slur.

    In a letter to the judge, Flanagan writes, “How heartless can you be? My entire life was disrupted after moving clear across the country for a job only to have my dream turn into a nightmare. … Your Honor, I am not the monster here.”

    Meanwhile, The woman who survived the shooting is doing better the hospital.

    Hannah Cline, a spokeswoman at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, said Vicki Gardner was in good condition. Gardner was being interviewed by Alison Parker when Vester Flanagan began firing. Cameraman Adam Ward was also killed in the attack.

    Gardner is the executive director of the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce. Parker and Ward were doing a story about the lake’s 50th anniversary.

    Earlier on Thursday, WDBJ held a moment of silence to remember the two, according to media reports.
    Members of the WDBJ-TV7 news staff prepare for the early morning newscast at the station, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015, in Roanoke, Va. Reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward were killed by a former colleague during a live broadcast Wednesday, while on assignment in Moneta. The balloons and flowers, at right, are addressed to Ward's fiancee, Melissa Ott, who was celebrating her last day at WDBJ on Wednesday, before moving to a station in North Carolina. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)


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    MAYERFREUND
    MAYERFREUND
    8 years ago

    The N.R.A. said at the last mass killing that the reason so many people get killed is because there aren’t enough guns out there to protect all the people.