Two journalists gunned down live on air.

The TV station employees who were killed in an on-air shooting in central Virginia have been identified as a 27-year-old and a 24-year-old.

In tweets and on its website, WDBJ-TV identified the two killed Wednesday as Alison Parker and Adam Ward.

The station's website says Ward was 27 and a graduate of Virginia Tech.

Parker just turned 24 and attended James Madison University.


In a tweet, the station says "We love you, Alison and Adam."

It was not clear who the shooter was.

The station says in tweets and in a story on its website that the incident happened at a shopping centre.

The station says law enforcement officials are on the scene.

The station is based in Roanoke, Virginia, and serves the southwest and central part of the state. The shopping mall is just off Smith Mountain Lake.

Law enforcement is on scene at Bridgewater Plaza in Moneta. The incident involves a WDBJ7 crew.

We are trying to figure out what just happened -- thank you all for your concern and kind words.
Washington - Two journalists for a local CBS affiliate in Virginia were shot dead on Wednesday during a live broadcast, according to television footage and their network.

Shots are heard in footage taken by the WDBJ cameraman Adam Ward before he dropped to the ground. Ward and reporter Alison Parker - a couple, according to their station manager Jeffrey Marks - were killed.

"We do not know the motive. We do not know who the suspect or who the killer is," Marks said, adding the shooter was still at large. - AFP