Suspected WDBJ Gunman Vester Flanagan Motivated By AME Shooting
Suspected WDBJ Gunman May Have Been Motivated By Charleston AME Shooting
A 23-page letter received via fax Wednesday morning by ABC News suggests that the racially motivated mass shooting at a Charleston, SC AME church earlier this summer was the motivation for the shooting of two White journalists in Roanoke, Virginia.
Reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27, died as a result of their injuries. A third shooting victim, Vicki Gardner, is in stable condition.
A man claiming to be the suspected gunman, Vester Flanagan (also known as Bryce Williams), sent the fax shortly before 8:30 a.m., ABC writes. The man was reportedly in touch with ABC News over the last few weeks, saying he wanted to pitch a story. Two hours after the Wednesday morning shooting, which occurred on-air, ABC received what authorities believe to be a manifesto. A short while later the same man called again, introduced himself as “Bryce,” and told the network he shot two people.
“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.”
The letter continues:
“Yes, it will sound like I am angry…I am. And I have every right to be. But when I leave this Earth, the only emotion I want to feel is peace….”
“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!!!!”
“As for Dylann Roof? You (deleted)! You want a race war (deleted)? BRING IT THEN YOU WHITE …(deleted)!!!” He said Jehovah spoke to him, telling him to act.
From ABC:
Later in the manifesto, the writer quotes the Virginia Tech mass killer, Seung Hui Cho, calls him “his boy,” and expresses admiration for the Columbine High School killers. “Also, I was influenced by Seung–Hui Cho. That’s my boy right there. He got NEARLY double the amount that Eric Harrisand Dylann Klebold got…just sayin.’”
He writes of a long list of grievances. In one part of the document, Williams calls it a “Suicide Note for Friends and Family.”
- He says has suffered racial discrimination, sexual harassment and bullying at work
- He says he has been attacked by black men and white females
- He talks about how he was attacked for being a gay, black man
The full manifesto has yet to be released. You can find live updates from the shooting investigation here.
SOURCE: ABC | PHOTO CREDIT: Twitter
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Suspected WDBJ Gunman May Have Been Motivated By Charleston AME Shooting was originally published on ionenewsone.staging.go.ione.nyc
