Multiple outlets reported Wednesday afternoon that shooting suspect Vester Lee Flanagan died after shooting himself during a police manhunt.
Franklin County Sheriff W.Q. Overton Jr. confirmed in a press conference that Flanagan died at around 1:30 p.m. from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The suspect shot himself hours after he shot and killed two journalists for television station WDBJ, Alison Parker and Adam Ward.
Overton did not have many additional details on the shooting or the suspect’s motives, but he confirmed that the suspect, Vester Lee Flanagan, used to work at WDBJ.
“This gentleman was disturbed in some way,” Overton said. “It would appear things were spiraling out of control.”
Vicki Gardner, of the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce, who was being interviewed at the time of the shooting, sustained non-life threatening injuries and remains in treatment, Overton said.
After shooting the three victims, Flanagan fled the scene in his car, Overton said. The suspect then left his car at a local airport and began driving a rental car. A state trooper spotted the suspect driving on I-66 in Virginia. The suspect then crashed his car and police found that the driver suffered a gunshot wound, Overton said.
Please, please stop referring to murdering assholes as “gentlemen”.
And it irks me that this is probably what we wanted. His face planted on every website, news publication and news channel. And they give him it. I know, what are they to do? It’s news, and they’re the news…but I can’t help but think if we stop giving them, what they perceive as glory, perhaps these mass public shootings would begin to decline…oh, and ban guns. I have yet to hear of a mass public killing by baseball bat. These people who do this are cowards, who need the safe distance of a gun to inflict as much carnage as possible. Anyone who doesn’t see guns as the key enabler here, there is no one who can help you.
And here comes the twin brother to the right wing hate machine. You do realize that what drove this man over the edge was probably a complete lack of empathy from people around him? Great work there.
I used to think the biggest difference between the left and right was the rights complete lack of empathy. Boy, was I wrong.
He’s a murdering asshole. There’s no way around that.
WTF was that? Do you live on a diet of lead-based paint chips and squirrel brains?