Father of slain reporter: Va. senators still have not called

The father of Alison Parker, the Virginia reporter who was killed by a former co-worker Wednesday, criticized his state’s two senators for not calling him yet.

Andy Parker said Friday that Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe was the first elected official to call him but that he had not heard from Sens. Tim Kaine (D) and Mark Warner (D).

“I have not heard a word from Sen. Kaine. And I have not heard a word from Sen. Warner,” Parker said, according to CNN.

{mosads}Parker ran an unsuccessful run for the Virginia House of Delegates in 2007 as a Democrat and interacted with the men on the campaign trail.

“They campaigned for me when I ran for the House of Delegates. And it’s very disappointing that Sens. Kaine and Warner haven’t at least given me a call and come out against this,” he said.

Kaine’s office quickly issued a statement after Parker’s comment, CNN reported. The senator was in Alaska on official travel when the shooting happened Wednesday morning. His office had released an initial statement about the news Wednesday:

“Senator Kaine is heartbroken by the horrific shooting that took the lives of Alison Parker and Adam Ward and seriously injured Vicki Gardner. Senator Kaine has not yet reached out to the victims’ families out of respect for their space and privacy during this difficult time of grieving. At the appropriate time, he looks forward to working side-by-side with the families and all Virginians who want to push tougher legislation through Congress to reduce gun violence and prevent such tragedies from happening here and across the country,” said Amy Dudley, Kaine’s spokeswoman, according to the report.

A spokesman for Warner said Friday evening that the “Senator knows Mr. Parker and wanted to be respectful of the family’s privacy at a time of unimaginable grief. The Senator left a message this afternoon but they have not connected yet.”

Parker has been doing numerous interviews since his daughter’s death and has said his mission is to push for stricter gun control measures to prevent another mass shooting.

Vester Lee Flanagan II, a former reporter at Alison Parker’s TV news station, WDBJ, shot and killed both her and Adam Ward, a photojournalist. Flanagan also shot the woman they were interviewing, Vicki Gardner, who is expected to recover.

Parker was 24, and Ward was 27.