TV gunman said he was a 'human powder keg' in rambling 23-page manifesto

The gunman who murdered journalist Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward during a live TV broadcast in Virginia wrote a letter claiming his actions were retaliation for the Charleston church shootings in June.

ABC News said it received a rambling 23-page manifesto two hours after a gunman shot to death a WDBJ reporter and cameraman as they were conducting a live interview near Roanoke, Virginia.

In the document that was faxed to the network, the author said he was motivated to commit the crime after Dylann Roof murdered nine people and wounded three others inside the South Carolina church.

“MY NAME IS BRYCE WILLIAMS,” he wrote.

“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 killer, Vester Flanagan, was a former reporter at the station and used Bryce Williams as his on-air name.

He had been dismissed by the network after several behaviour-related incidents.

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ABC News redacted some parts of the manifesto, replacing certain words with (deleted) in their publication.

“As for Dylann Roof? You (deleted)! You want a race war (deleted)? BRING IT THEN YOU WHITE …(deleted)!!!”

The author of the letter also praised the actions of the Seung–Hui Cho, who killed 32 people at Virginia Tech university in 2007, and reference Columbine mass shooters Eric Harris and Dylann Klebold.

“Also, I was influenced by Seung–Hui Cho. That’s my boy right there. He got NEARLY double the amount that Eric Harris and Dylann Klebold got…just sayin,” he wrote.

Throughout the long document the author claimed he had suffered racial discrimination, sexual harassment and bullying at his workplace.

He also said he had been attacked by white females and black men and talked about being targeted for being a gay black man.

“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,” he wrote.

“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!!!!”

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