USA Today Network WUSA-TV 1:17 p.m. EDT August 26, 2015

Photo of Allison Parker and Chris Hurst.(Photo: Facebook screenshot)

MONETA, Va.-- WDBJ7 Anchor Chris Hurst, who lost two employees in a shooting in Virginia, said on social media that he was "very much in love" with one of the victims.

In a statement he posted on Facebook, Hurst said he and reporter Allison Parker had been dating for nine months but had kept their relationship private.

The two had just moved in together and Parker had just celebrated her 24th birthday.

Hurst posted the following to his Facebook page:

"We didn't share this publicly, but Alison Parker and I were very much in love. We just moved in together. I am numb. We were together almost nine months. It was the best nine months of our lives. We wanted to get married. We just celebrated her 24th birthday. She was the most radiant woman I ever met. And for some reason she loved me back."

Parker was a morning reporter for WDBJ7, according to the stations website. She graduated from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. in December 2012.

The university posted the following message on Facebook:

Alison Parker, one of two WDBJ journalists killed today, was a 2012 graduate of JMU. Alison earned a bachelor's degree in media arts and design, and she was a reporter and editor for the student newspaper, The Breeze. She had a passion for journalism and had a bright future. We're shocked and saddened by the news and circumstances of her death. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and colleagues.

Condolences also poured on to Parker's Facebook page.

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