This week, tragedy struck in Roanake, VA, when two young members of a local news team were tragically shot during a live interview. The WDBJ7 news team was at Bridgewater Plaza near Smith Mountain Lake when the shooting occurred. Adam Ward was filming reporter Alison Parker interview Vicki Gardner, head of the local Chamber of Commerce, when the shots rang out.
Alison Parker, 24, and Adam Ward, 27, were both killed. Gardner survived, but is now in the hospital.
Instead of only remembering the tragic footage, the local and online community should remember who these young professionals were.
How Alison Parker & Adam Ward should be remembered instead of the horrific video [via New York Daily News] pic.twitter.com/KoNjJOqr7k
— Shawn Reynolds (@ShawnRTV6) August 26, 2015
Alison Parker and Adam Ward were from the WDBJ7 viewing area. Their loss is tragic for the nation — but especially for the Roanoke community.
Alison Parker
Alison, who just turned 24 years old, grew up in Martinsville, VA. She then attended Patrick Henry Community College and James Madison University. Previously, she worked at WCTI NewsChannel 12 in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
She was dating a fellow WDBJ7 team member, Chris Hurst. After the tragedy, posted the following message to Twitter in honor of his lost love:
We didn"t share this publicly, but @AParkerWDBJ7 and I were very much in love. We just moved in together. I am numb. pic.twitter.com/tUrHVwAXcN
— Chris Hurst (@chrishurstwdbj) August 26, 2015
Adam Ward
Ward was a photographer for WDBJ7. He graduated from Salem High School. Then, he got his degree at Virginia Tech in 2011 and worked as a photojournalist ever since. He was also with someone who was part of the WDBJ7 news team. His fiancee, Melissa Ott, also works at the station as a producer.
It has been reported that Ott was in the control room during the broadcast and shockingly saw Flanagan’s brutal attack.
Cameraman #AdamWard, 27, who died in the shooting, was engaged to #MelissaOtt, a producer for morning show. #Prayers pic.twitter.com/znRLPDCLoS
— Ashley M. Lapadula (@AshleyU23TV) August 26, 2015
The people that knew Parker and Ward, including the news team, have said the two were incredibly happy, helpful, and kind-hearted individuals.
WDBJ7 shared some behind-the-scenes pictures of Parker and Ward, showing their wonderful personalities.
After the news of this shocking tragedy broke, countless people have shared their condolences via tweets and comments.
It’s heartbreaking to know that these young people’s lives were cut so short.
Their community is already mourning their loss.
A memorial left for the two local news team members.
What happened to Alison Parker and Adam Ward was truly terrible.
This wreath was placed on the station’s doors in their honor.
A touching message from their news station, full of many people who held them dear.
We love you, Alison and Adam. pic.twitter.com/hLSzQi06XE
— WDBJ7 (@WDBJ7) August 26, 2015
Although the circumstances surrounding this tragedy are hard to forget, instead remember the two bright individuals whose lives ended early. Share this story and show people what their lives were really like (and what should be remembered.)
