WDBJ Staff Will Continue To 'Get The Job Done' After Tragedy

At an emotional press conference in Virginia Thursday afternoon, the staff at WDBJ, the station where two journalists had been shot and killed the previous day, wore ribbons commemorating their colleagues: A teal ribbon for Alison Parker her favorite color and a maroon ribbon for Adam Ward, the color of his alma mater, Virginia Tech. 

On Wednesday morning, during a live broadcast in Roanoke, 41-year-old Vester Flanagan gunned down his former colleagues. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound later that day. 

As the station continues to grapple with the sobering reality of losing their beloved reporter and cameraman, news director Kelly Zuber said they will move forward.

“I have the greatest news team,” Zuber said at the press conference. “I love each and every one of them, and they have performed so well. I have watched anchors and reporters, half an hour before a newscast, be crying in the newsroom and then get on that set and deliver the news.”

Zuber recounted how a meteorologist at the station saw a candy wrapper while on air Thursday morning. It was a wrapper that had belonged to 27-year-old Ward, who was often seen eating candy and leaving his wrappers lying around. Travis Wells, the station’s sports director, remarked to Zuber that he “lost it” when he walked to the parking lot and saw Ward’s car still parked with his clothes inside.

“It’s not the big things that get to us, it’s the little ones,” Zuber said.

The day of 24-year-old Parker’s death, boyfriend Chris Hurst shared his grief  and revealed the two had planned to get married.

"It was the best nine months of our lives," Hurst said. "We wanted to get married. ... She was the most radiant woman I ever met. And for some reason she loved me back. She loved her family, her parents and her brother."

Ward's fiancee, Melissa Ott, is a producer for WDBJ.

"It’s bad enough to find out your fiance is shot. It’s worse to be the producer of the show as it happens live," Zuber said. "We are going to wrap our arms around her and hold her like we are doing with everybody else."

Though there were no live teams out in the field on Thursday out of an "abundance of caution," Zuber said the station would press on.

"The performance of this staff has been incredible," she said. "They cry, they hug, and then they get the job done."