JournalismPakistan.com
August 26, 2015

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemned Wednesday's shooting attack in the US State of Virginia in which journalist Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward, both working for CBS affiliate WDBJ7 TV station, were killed by a gunman during a live interview from a shopping center in Moneta (Virginia).

“This is a shock horror murder of two media staff which will appall the world journalists’ community,” said IFJ President Jim Boumelha. “We look to the US authorities to leave no stone unturned in the hunt for the killer. Our hearts go out to the victims’ families, colleagues and to the US media community as a whole.”

According to reports, WDBJ's reporter Alison Parker (24) and cameraman Adam Ward (27) were reporting live from the Bridgewater Plaza, a lakeside shopping and recreational sports centre near Smith Mountain Lake in Moneta, Bedford County (Virginia), when they were targeted by a gunman. Ms. Parker was interviewing a guest when suddenly eight shots rang out, the camera spins and drops to the ground and screams can be heard as the broadcast cuts back to the studio, US media said. The station said the interviewee survived the attack but she was also shot and taken for emergency surgery.

The local Sheriff’s Office told media that the attack happened at 6.45am and three other people were injured.

The Governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe told media that the shooter has been identified and hunted by police. McAuliffe added that the suspect is a "disgruntled" former employee from the TV station.

“This terrible incident serves a sad reminder that violence against journalists is spiraling out of control all around the world,” added IFJ General Secretary Beth Costa. "While the risk zero will never exist in journalism, such attacks make a compelling case for some ground security measures for media professionals doing live reporting from the field,” she said. - An IFJ media release