'Human powder keg': How Virginia TV shooting suspect Vester Flanagan described himself

The man who shot and killed two reporters live on television, uploading the footage to social media and then shooting himself, appeared to be a disturbed individual who reportedly described himself as a "human powder keg" and who expressed admiration the perpetrator of the Virginia Tech massacre.

Vester Lee Flanagan - who went by the name Bryce Williams on air - shot Alison Parker and Adam Ward during a live cross about 6.45 am on Wednesday morning in Virginia. He died hours later from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being pursued by police.

The attack appeared pre-meditated and one that was accompanied by a bizarre publicity strategy, with a manifesto and footage of the incident placed on social media.

Someone calling themselves Bryce Williams contacted the American ABC News network with a 23-page fax within two hours of the killings. Then at about 10am, the same person called the newsroom and told them he had shot two people.

"While on the phone, he said authorities are 'after me', and 'all over the place'. He hung up. ABC News contacted the authorities immediately and provided them with the fax," ABC reported.

According to the ABC, in the rambling document he called his 'Suicide Note for Friends and Family' he said he committed the murders after being "sent over the top" by the shooting of nine black people by a young white supremacist, Dylann Roof, in Charleston in June.

"Why did I do it? I put down a deposit for a gun on 6/19/15. The Church shooting in Charleston happened on 6/17/15…

"What sent me over the top was the church shooting. And my hollow point bullets have the victims' initials on them.

"As for Dylann Roof? You (deleted)! You want a race war (deleted)? BRING IT THEN YOU WHITE …(deleted)!!!

"The church shooting was the tipping point…but my anger has been building steadily...I've been a human powder keg for a while… just waiting to go BOOM!!!!"

He also expressed admiration for one of America's most notorious mass killers, Seung–Hui Cho, who carried out the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, where 32 people were killed.

"Also, I was influenced by Seung–Hui Cho. That's my boy right there. He got NEARLY double the amount that [Columbine HIgh School killers] Eric Harris and Dylann Klebold got…just sayin'."

He also said he had experienced discrimination and been attacked for being a black, gay man.

Disturbing footage of the incident from the shooter's point-of-view - showing an unsuspecting Ward being shot in the back and Parker screaming in terror before she herself was shot - was uploaded to the Facebook and Twitter account of 'Bryce Williams', which featured pictures of Flanagan.

Jeffrey Marks, the general manager of WDBJ7-TV in Virginia, described Flanagan, who was fired from his job at the station two years earlier, as an "unhappy man".

Marks said Flanagan was hired as a reporter a few years ago after a while out of the TV news business, but that he developed a reputation of being difficult to work with. According to memos obtained by Guardian US, he had been told to seek medical attention.

"Eventually, after many incidents of his anger coming to the fore, we dismissed him," Marks said. "He did not take that well."

Marks said that when Flanagan was fired, police had to escort him from the building.

Marks said that Flanagan alleged that other employees made racially-tinged comments to him and that he filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

But the allegations couldn't be corroborated and the claim was dismissed.

After the shooting,the suspect also apparently posted several Tweets accusing Parker of racism and complaining Ward had reported him to the station's human resources department.

"Alison made racist comments" he wrote. "EEOC report filed" and then "They hired her after that???"

About Ward he said: "Adam went to hr on me after working with me one time!!!"

However, some at the station disputed that Parker and Flanagan had ever even worked together.

Marks said Flanagan had remained in town after being fired, and every now and then, station employees ran into him.

CNN reported on Wednesday that Flanagan had applied for a journalism job at their network but had been rejected.

WDBJ7 listed Bryce Williams as a reporter at the station on its website on January 17, 2013. By February 8 that same year, his name no longer appeared on the site.

Flanagan had also sued former employer WTWC-TV in north Florida over allegations of race discrimination in March 2000.

The lawsuit claimed that a producer called him a "monkey" in 1999 and that other black employees had been called the same name by other workers.

Flanagan also claimed that an unnamed white supervisor at the station said black people were lazy because they did not take advantage of scholarships to attend college.

The station generally denied the allegations of discrimination and said it had legitimate reasons for ending Flanagan's employment, including poor performance, misbehaviour with regard to co-workers, refusal to follow directions, use of profanity and budgetary reasons.

With Associated Press

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