Gabby Giffords & Mark Kelly Statement on the Fatal Shooting of Two Broadcast Journalists in Virginia During a Live Report

August 26, 2015

August 26, 2015 – Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Navy combat veteran and NASA astronaut Captain Mark Kelly, the Co-Founders of the gun violence prevention organization Americans for Responsible Solutions (ARS), issued the below statement this morning following the fatal shooting of two broadcast journalists with CBS affiliate WDBJ7 live on air during a report from Moneta, Virginia:

“We are horrified to learn that two young journalists were murdered this morning doing the jobs they loved. As they worked on a beautiful summer morning, they were murdered by an armed assailant. While we don’t yet know all the details of what happened this morning, we know that an attack like this on journalists is an affront to the values we all share.”“Our country has a gun violence problem, and shootings like these are far too common in our country. Many times, they happen behind closed doors, in homes and schools and movie theaters. But this time, the horror unfolded live and on air, for all to see. Our thoughts and prayers are with those whose loved ones were taken from them this morning, with their colleagues at WDBJ7 in Roanoke, and with all Virginians as they mourn this shocking loss.”

DETAILS ON THE SHOOTING AS OF 11:00AM ET

Confirmed dead are reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27, of the CBS affiliate WCBS, which is based in Roanoke, Virginia.
The two victims were shot at approximately 6:45 a.m. Wednesday while doing a live report at the Bridgewater Plaza near Smith Mountain Lake in Moneta, Virginia, according to the Franklin County Sheriff Department.
A third person was also injured in the shooting, according to authorities.
The suspected shooter remains at large.