The man authorities said fatally shot Virginia reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward live during a morning broadcast Wednesday is a former television reporter for the same station, WDBJ, officials said.
The Augusta County Sheriff's Department confirmed to BuzzFeed News that the shooting suspect's legal name is Vester Lee Flanagan II.
Flanagan, 41, who also used the name Bryce Williams, was employed at WDBJ between 2012 and 2013 as a multimedia journalist, the station's general manager said on Wednesday.
"Vester was an unhappy man. We employed him as a reporter and he had some talent in that respect and some experience," the general manager said. "He quickly gathered a reputation of someone who was difficult to work with. He was sort of looking out to people to say things he could take offense to. Eventually, after many incidents of his anger, we dismissed him. He did not take that well. We had to call police to escort him from the building."
LINK: Shooter Kills TV News Reporter And Cameraman During A Live Broadcast In Virginia
On Wednesday, after Parker and Ward's deaths, Twitter and Facebook accounts under the name Bryce Williams shared graphic video of the shooting filmed from the perspective of the gunman. His former WDBJ colleagues said on air that Bryce Williams was the name he used on television.
According to Williams' Facebook account, he lived in Roanoke, where the shooting took place. His Facebook and Twitter accounts were later suspended.
ABC News reported that between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning it had received 23 pages via fax from a man claiming to be Bryce Williams. ABC said it had turned the document over to authorities.
Flanagan was born in 1973 in Oakland, California, where his mother worked as a teacher for more than 37 years, according to her 2008 obituary.
His LinkedIn account states that he began his career as a news intern in 1993, before working as a reporter and production assistant at various stations in the 1990s.
Between March 1999 and March 200, he worked at WTWC-TV NBC 40 in Tallahassee, Florida.
In March of 2000, Flanagan filed a civil lawsuit in federal court against WTWC-TV for alleged racial discrimination. In the complaint, Flanagan said members of the station’s management called him “monkey,” suggested he had only been hired because of affirmative action, and asked him to “stop talking ebonics.” The lawsuit was settled in Jan. 2001 under unspecified terms.
Flanagan also said the station fired him after he threatened to contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to complain about the alleged discrimination, and asked for $15,000 in damages. The station's general manager said an EEOC complaint was filed.
A spokesperson with the EEOC told BuzzFeed News the office could not confirm or deny that Flanagan had ever filed a report, due to Title VII confidentiality provisions.
Moments after the shooting, Flanagan tweeted from an account under Bryce Williams that “Alison [Parker] made racist comments” and that he had filed a report with the EEOC."
WTWC-TV did not immediately return a request for comment from BuzzFeed News.
This is a developing news story. Check back for updates or follow BuzzFeed News on Twitter.
SOURCE: BuzzFeed
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