The YouTube reels of Virginia WDBJ shooting suspect Vester Flanagan

Michael Walsh
·Reporter

The suspected gunman behind the murder of two journalists in Virginia on Wednesday morning left behind reporting reels on YouTube.

The man police believe shot and killed two journalists as they were broadcasting live to air, has reportedly died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Police say Vester Flanagan had once worked at the same television station, but had been dismissed. Jillian Kitchener reports.
The man police believe shot and killed two journalists as they were broadcasting live to air, has reportedly died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Police say Vester Flanagan had once worked at the same television station, but had been dismissed. Jillian Kitchener reports.

Vester Flanagan, a 41-year-old journalist who sometimes went by the name Bryce Williams, used to work with shooting victims – reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27 – at Roanoke-based CBS affiliate WDBJ, which fired him in 2013 because of reported anger issues.

His reels, which present a fairly typical newscaster, were compiled from his work for many news outlets over the years.

RELATED VIDEO: Police discuss shootings of WDBJ journalists

“It’s important that we get past this race issue and start seeing each other simply as Americans,” he said in one clip.

He covered a slew of standard local news fare: gun rights, school reading initiatives, loose bears, missing persons, extreme weather, robberies, murders and wrestling. His apparent YouTube account only has two videos and has not been updated since May 6, 2011.

RELATED: Va. suspect sent manifesto to TV station

Flanagan, who grew up in Oakland, Calif., studied journalism at San Francisco State University. He worked for Tallahassee-based NBC affiliate WTWC, Greenville, N.C.-based CBS affiliate WNCT and  Morehead City, N.C.-based Fox affiliate WFXI, among other stations.

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