US journalists killed on live TV were both shot in the head

The woman being interviewed when a gunman killed two US journalists on live TV may have only survived because he ran out of bullets.

Vicki Gardner said she "ducked and dodged" as Vester Flanagan opened fire.

He did shoot her in the back but further attempts to fire more shots failed and then he fled.

Family spokesman Troy Keaton told NBC News: "After attempts to shoot her again, his gun was either not functioning or was out of bullets.

"She stayed there for a moment or two before she realised he was actually gone. Then she actually got up.

"She is just very thankful that she was able to survive and her and her husband Tim, they've been married 40 years, are still together."

Mrs Gardner is still recovering in hospital and Mr Keaton said there was no word yet on when she could go home.

The two journalists killed during a live TV report were both shot in the head.

Reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27, died of gunshot wounds to the head and body, a Virginia coroner said.

Their former colleague Vester Flanagan shot himself when police caught up with him three hours from the scene of the killings.

Flanagan, who used the on-air name Bryce Williams, is thought to have filmed the shooting, footage of which later appeared on Facebook.

He also sent a fax to ABC News alleging he was subjected to racism when he worked at TV station WDBJ7.

When Flanagan was sacked in 2013 he filed a lawsuit against the station but a judge threw his claims out.

The father of a US journalist shot live on-air has urged lawmakers to take action on gun control.

Andy Parker, the father of murdered WDBJ7 reporter Alison, told CNN: "I'm not going to rest until I see something happen.

"We've got to have our legislators and congressmen step up to the plate and stop being cowards about this."

Mr Parker also dismissed any argument that his daughter and Adam Ward would have been safe if they were armed.

"It wouldn't have made any difference," he said. "How many Alisons is this going to happen to before we stop it?"

The gunman who killed two US journalists handed his news director a cross and said "you'll need this" when he was fired by the station, it has been revealed.

WDBJ President Jeffrey Marks told a press conference that Vester Flanagan had "reacted angrily" to his dismissal in February 2013.

Mr Marks said Flanagan told staff they would have to call the police "because he was going to make a stink and it was going to be in the headlines".

"On the way out he handed a wooden cross to the news director...and he said you'll need this," Mr Marks told reporters.

"He also made a derogatory comment to (shooting victim) Adam Ward."

Newsreaders have held a moment of silence at the station where two journalists who were shot dead on Wednesday worked.

Twenty-four hours on from the killings of WDBJ7 reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward, news anchors on the show held hands and asked viewers to join them in a moment of reflection.

In emotional scenes, one member of the team shed tears as they remembered their colleagues.

Gunman Vester Flanagan died in hospital after shooting himself.

Donald Trump said shootings in the US are "not a gun problem, it's a mental health problem".

The presidential hopeful told CNN he did not think gun laws needed to be tightened as it was down to people.

He called Virginia shooter Vester Flanagan a "very sick man" and said more resources should be given to address mental health.

"There are so many things that can be done," he told the broadcaster.

"What happened in Virginia was very sad. [The shooter] should have been institutionalised."

The boyfriend of shooting victim Alison Parker said he hopes other people get to experience the love he shared with her "at least once in their lives".

Chris Hurst, who worked with Alison at WDJB7 News, said the pair who had been dating nine months had not yet revealed their relationship to colleagues.

He told reporters: "I believe she would want our love to be shared because it was a love that was genuine.

"It was a love that I hope everyone gets to experience at least once in their life."

Barack Obama has called for tougher gun laws after the Virginia shootings in which two journalists were shot dead on live TV.

In an interview with WPVI-TV, the President said: "It breaks my heart every time you hear about these kind of incidents.

"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."

In a separate interview with KIRO-TV in Seattle he said: "Sadly these events happen all too often.

"It's a testimony in this case to the fact that journalists, they go to tough places. This isn't one of those situations. They should have been safe.

"I think it's one more argument for why we need to look at how we can reduce gun violence in this country."