Virginia shooter Vester Flanagan's family releases statement

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The family of Vester Flanagan released a statement Thursday, one day after Flanagan shot and killed two journalists during a live TV broadcast.

Flanagan was a former colleague of the victims at Virginia news station WDBJ before he was terminated in 2013. The shooting claimed the lives of 24-year-old reporter Alison Parker and 27-year-old cameraman Adam Ward. The woman Parker was interviewing at the time, Vicki Gardner, suffered a gunshot wound and is currently in stable condition.

“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,” the family of gunman Vester Flanagan said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers at this time are with the victims’ families and the WBDJ7 News family. Words cannot express the hurt that we feel for the victims.”

The family’s spokeswoman, Amber Bowman, made the statement from Vallejo, California, adding the family is requesting privacy and will not be answering questions from the media.

Flanagan, 41, shot himself when authorities caught up to him on Interstate 66 in Northern Virginia. He died hours later at a hospital.