Everything we know about Vester L. Flanagan II aka Bryce Williams

On Wednesday afternoon Vester L. Flanagan, known professionally as Bryce Williams, shot and killed two former co-workers, WDBJ-TV journalists — on-air reporter Alison Parker and her photographer Adam Ward during a live taping. A third shooting victim, Vicki Gardner, is in stable condition. Flanagan died a few hours later from a self-inflicted gun wound.

As family, friends, and colleagues try to piece together and comes to terms with the horrible tragedy that happened, bits of information is coming out about the shooter.

Flanagan launched into a Twitter rant, accusing colleagues of discrimination and claiming the cameraman got him fired by reporting him to Human Resources. He also accused Parker of making racist comments but “still had her job”. He also film and posted on Facebook the moments leading up the shooting and the shooting itself.

Bryce Williams Shooting Timeline

Here’s a timeline of what has been released:

• At 6:45 a.m., a live broadcast on tourism abruptly cut off when viewers saw the camera drop and heard gunshots.
• They believed the man to be former employee Bryce Williams
• Williams began his career as a news intern at KPIX-TV in 1993.
• His television career ended in March 2000, when WTWC‑TV in Florida fired him for what managers described as “bizarre behavior and threatening employees.”

• Williams has had a history of filling racism and discrimination claims and threatening his employees
• WDBJ7 hired him in 2012 as a multimedia journalist.
• Moreover, in 2013, the company fired him after his escalating anger reportedly became a problem. “Two years ago, we had to separate him from the company. We did understand that he was still living in the area,” WDBJ General Manager Jeff Marks said.

Racism

• After the shooting, Williams claimed on his Twitter feed that reporter Alison Parker had “made racist comments”. Photojournalist Adam Ward had made a complaint to the station’s human resources department.
• Some observers believe Williams’ long‑standing grudge against his two former colleagues may have fueled his actions.
• According to federal officials and the Augusta County Sheriff’s Department tracked his cell phone to locate him.
• ABC News says Williams called them weeks ago, saying he wanted to pitch a story and needed their fax information.
• Two hours after the shooting, at 8:26 a.m., ABC News received a 23-page fax from Flanagan. It was passed on to police.
• A little after 10a.m., the suspect called the station, introduced himself as Bryce, said that his legal name was Vester Lee Flanagan, and admitted that he shot two people earlier that morning.
  >In the fax sent to the station, Williams writes that the murders he committed were his reaction to the racism of the Charleston church shooting.
• In what he calls “Suicide Note for Friends and Family,” he says he had endured racial discrimination, sexual harassment and ongoing bullying for being a gay, black man.
• Virginia state police spotted the suspect just before 11:30a.m
• Sheriff Bill Overton told reporters he died Wednesday afternoon of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
• Bryce Williams’ mental health has come into question, with Virginia’s governor Terry McAuliffe saying, “There are certain people who should not be entitled to a firearm.”

Source : Twitter