TV gunman told to get medical help

The newsman who shot dead two former colleagues on live television was ordered to get medical help months before he was fired from the Virginia-based station in 2013, internal memos revealed on Thursday.

Britain's Guardian newspaper obtained documents that described how Vester F, a journalist who appeared on screen by the name of Bryce Williams, often made his colleagues at WDBJ feel "threatened" by his "aggressive behavior."

F. killed journalist Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward on Wednesday morning while they were reporting live from a shopping mall in Smith Mountain Lake, Moneta. The shooting was watched by tens of thousands of viewers.

He then fled the scene and later, shot himself dead. A show guest, Vicki Gardner, remains in hospital after being injured in the shooting.

Threatening behavior

Having joined the station in March 2013, F's troubled relationships with other staff soon came to the attention of management, the memos show.

During a performance review in July of the same year, F's boss rated his ability to work with others as "unacceptable."

He was fired in February 2013 and had to be escorted from the building following an angry outburst.

F. filmed Wednesday's shooting, uploaded it to social media, and then sent a rambling 23-page fax containing his suicide note and manifesto to his ABC news.

The 41-year-old claimed he had been the victim of racial discrimination and was motivated by the shooting of nine black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina in June.

F. had been fired at least twice from other smaller TV stations amid relationship issues with other staff.

WDBJ-TV, based in Roanoke, Virginia, observed a moment's silence at 0645 local time (1045 UTC) on Thursday, exactly 24 hours after the pair were shot dead.

"We will, over time, heal from this," said a grief-stricken morning anchor, Kimberly McBroom, holding hands with two colleagues on the set.

Viewers turned up at the studios to pay their respects, with many laying flowers and balloons outside the gates of the building.

F's family issued a statement on Thursday, offering respects to the dead journalists' loved ones.

"It is with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we express our deepest condolences to the families of Alison Parker and Adam Ward. We are also praying for the recovery of Vicki Gardner...words cannot express the hurt that we feel for the victims," the statement read.

24-year-old Parker was dating another news anchor, Chris Hurst. He said he was left "numb" at news of her killing, describing her as "the most radiant woman I ever met."

The shootings have renewed calls for tighter gun legislation in the US.

"What we know is that the number of people who die from gun-related incidents around this country dwarfs any deaths that happen through terrorism," President Barack Obama told an ABC affiliate in Philadelphia.

Critics have also questioned the ease that video of the shootings spread through social media, with some suggesting that the footage should have been removed.

mm/jil (AFP, AP)