Family Of Virginia CBS Reporter Shot & Killed Lives In North Texas

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NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The family of a CBS television reporter, who along with her cameraman were shot and killed Wednesday morning, lives here in North Texas.

CBS Roanoke affiliate WDBJ-TV reporter Alison Parker, 24, has family in Dallas, Fort Worth and the Sherman-Denison area.

CBS 11 News has spoken with several of Parker's family members who asked that their names not be released. One of Parker's cousins is serving as the family spokesperson and issued the following statement -

"Today we received news that no family should ever hear. Our vivacious, ambitious, smart, engaging, hilarious, beautiful, and immensely talented Alison taken from the world. This is senseless and our family is crushed."

Parker was dating an anchor at WDBJ and had just moved in with him. Her boyfriend, Chris Hurst, partially expressed his express grief by posting several messages on Twitter and Facebook.

Parker was interviewing an economic development official about local tourism when shots rang out. Video captured as Adam Ward's camera fell included the face of a man holding a gun. That person was later identified as Vester Lee Flanagan II.

Police say the 41-year-old suspect, who according to his LinkedIn page, worked as a general assignment reporter in Midland, Texas in 1995, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a short police chase. At an afternoon press conference, Highway Patrol troopers said they followed the suspect for more than 1 ½ miles before he crashed.

On-air Flanagan went by the name Bryce Williams. A former co-worker of his says Flanagan was "off-kilter" and that he thought news anchoring was about "acting."

Click here to leave condolences and share your memories of WDBJ reporter Alison Parker and photographer Adam Ward.

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