A television reporter and cameraman were shot to death on live television Wednesday in Virginia by a gunman authorities described as a disgruntled station employee.

Here’s the latest information from a 2 p.m. press conference:

  • The suspect is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound
  • Officials still working on timeline, looking into motive
  • Third victim, Vicki Gardner, hospitalized

Law enforcement officers confronted the suspect on Interstate 64 and the man shot himself, officials told CNN. He was transported to a hospital where he died.

Reporter Alison Parker was interviewing Vicki Gardner, an economic development official about local tourism as eight shots rang out. She screamed, ran and could be heard saying "Oh my God," as she too was shot. Adam Ward's camera captured a fleeting image, including the face, of a man holding a handgun.

WDBJ quickly switched back to a shot of the anchor back at the station, her eyes large and jaw dropping as she said, "OK, not sure what happened there. We will of course let you know as soon as we find out what those sounds were from."

The suspect is Vester Lee Flanagan II, 41, of Roanoke, said Becky Coyner with dispatch and records at the Augusta County Sheriff's Office.

Video of the shooting was later posted on the Twitter account and Facebook page of Bryce Williams, who was on the staff at WDBJ. It showed an outstretched arm holding the handgun and firing repeatedly at Parker as she tried to run away.

The shooter appeared to walk up to the victims and stand a few feet away from them while holding the weapon. The three, in the midst of a live TV interview, do not seem to notice the gunman, who doesn't start shooting until Ward points the camera at Parker and Gardner.

Parker is heard screaming and is seen running away as shots are fired. Roughly 15 shots can be heard, including several that were fired after the video goes dark.

Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital said on its Facebook page that Gardner, a local economic development official who also was on the hospital's board of directors, was recovering after surgery. It did not elaborate on the nature of her wounds.

ABC News reported on its website that the network received a 23-page fax from someone claiming to be Williams. The network said the fax was turned over to authorities, and did not elaborate on its contents.

Federal law enforcement was assisting, and federal officials said there was no indication of a connection to terrorism.

The shooting happened around 6:45 a.m. at Bridgewater Plaza in Franklin County, as Parker interviewed Vicki Gardner about the upcoming 50th anniversary festivities for Smith Mountain Lake, a local tourism destination. Gardner also was wounded.

RIGHT: Allison Parker interviews Vicki Gardner of the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce before being shot.

Both the victims were romantically involved with other employees at the station, according to Parker's boyfriend, WDBJ anchor Chris Hurst.

Parker had just turned 24. She had just completed a special report on child abuse at the station, where she had worked as an intern. She attended James Madison University, where she was the editor of the school's newspaper, The Breeze. According to her Facebook page, Parker spent most of her life outside Martinsville, Virginia. She was an avid kayaker and attended community theater events in her spare time.

Hurst said they hadn't shared their relationship publicly but "were very much in love." He said they had just moved in together and wanted to get married. "I am numb," he said.

Ward, 27, graduated from Virginia Tech University and was engaged to a producer at the station, Melissa Ott, said WDBJ spokesman Mike Morgan.

"Adam was our go-to guy. He pretty much was available to do anything that we asked," Morgan said. "He did live shots during our morning show for several years."

The station is based in Roanoke, Virginia, and serves the southwest and central part of the state. The shopping mall where the incident happened is just off Smith Mountain Lake in Moneta, about 25 miles southeast of Roanoke.

Police have told employees of the station to stay inside the building as long as the suspect is on the loose. About 50 people work there, Marks said.

"We have police protection," Marks said.

Suspect had a history of problems at work

The man suspected of gunning down reporter Alison Parker and photographer Adam Ward during a live shot had a history of workplace problems.

Vester Lee Flanagan had been fired from several TV news jobs and had filed a lawsuit against a station in Tallahassee that was settled out of court.

He had worked at WDBJ in Roanoke but was terminated in 2013.

The station’s general manager calls him “an unhappy man with a reputation for being hard to work with.”

But that’s not the person Dana Wiederman remembers.

Wiederman is a former executive producer who worked with Flanagan years ago in North Carolina.

“He always came in with a smile on his face. He was always saying, 'Hey, how are you doing?' and was very polite. Just super easy to get along with. I never would have suspected it,” she said.

Wiederman said Flanagan never raised his voice but could be hard on himself when he made mistakes on-air.

He struck her as someone who wanted to do well and succeed.

Former co-workers in Tallahassee describe him as “off-kilter” and they said he had a temper.

"In our industry we have folks who are self-absorbed and I would say he was probably one of those people that was maybe a little more self-absorbed than the rest,” said one former co-worker.

People said Flanagan was a loner who didn’t socialize a lot with people in the newsroom.

Still, Wiederman said it’s hard to imagine someone she worked with so closely would be responsible for a double murder.

“I hadn’t kept up with him in recent years but I immediately turned to Facebook and all of us that worked together those same years, all of us had the same reaction like, 'no way, no way it could be him.” Just in immediate shock.”

Information from the Associated Press and CNN was used in this report.


Twitter updates from WDBJ

Note: We are not showing the video of the shooting due to its disturbing and graphic nature.