It was the third arrest for Roof, who was quizzed by police in February after workers at the Columbiana shopping mall said he appeared dressed entirely in black, asking strange questions about employee movements and closing times. Roof was arrested across the state line and returned in shackles to a county jail where he was being held next to the cell of Michael Slager, the white former police officer charged with fatally shooting black motorist Walter Scott in neighboring North Charleston. The affidavit said Roof's father and uncle also called authorities after seeing surveillance photos, and that the father said Roof owned a. 45 Glock pistol before the attack, Meek said. Roof also told him he used birthday money from his parents to buy a.
Roof had complained while getting drunk on vodka recently that "blacks were taking over the world" and that "someone needed to do something about it for the white race," according to Joey Meek, who tipped the FBI when he saw his friend on surveillance images. We will not give up, we will not give in," Brooks said. "This is a moment in which we say to them, the white nationalists movement, those purveyors of hate, we as Americans will not subscribe to that philosophy. Cornell William Brooks, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said Friday in Charleston. "This was an act of racial terrorism and must be treated as such," the Rev. Nikki Haley said the state will "absolutely" want the death penalty. Agency spokeswoman Emily Pierce said the slayings were "undoubtedly designed to strike fear and terror into this community."
The Justice Department announced Friday that it's investigating whether it could be a hate crime or domestic terrorism. said as he described plans for the evening vigil at a sports arena.Ī steady stream of people brought flowers and notes and shared somber thoughts at a growing memorial in front of the church, which President Barack Obama called "a sacred place in the history of Charleston and in the history of America." "A hateful person came to this community with some crazy idea he'd be able to divide, but all he did was unite us and make us love each other even more," Mayor Joseph P. The comments in court seemed in keeping with a spirit evident on the streets of Charleston Friday, where people built a memorial and thousands attended a vigil to repudiate whatever a gunman would hope to accomplish by attacking one of the nation's most important African-American sanctuaries. "We have all been touched by the moving words from the victims' families offering God's forgiveness and love in the face of such horrible suffering," the statement said. Roof's public defender released a statement from his family offering prayers and sympathy for the victims, and expressing "shock, grief and disbelief as to what happened that night." We're a very loving community," said Gosnell, who urged people to find it in their hearts to help not only the nine victims, but "victims on the young man's side of the family" as well. From the jail, he could hear them talking, but couldn't see them the camera showed only the judge. "Tywanza was my hero," Sanders added, but then even she showed some kindness to the man accused of killing her son: "As we said in Bible Study, we enjoyed you but may God have mercy on you." and I'll never be the same," Sanders told Roof. You have killed some of the most beautifulest people that I know. "We welcomed you Wednesday night in our Bible study with open arms. It is not unusual in South Carolina for the families of victims to be given a chance to address the court during a bond hearing. She also spoke from Chief Magistrate James Gosnell's courtroom, where Roof's image appeared on a television screen. "And I just want to thank the court for making sure that hate doesn't win."įelecia Sanders survived the Wednesday night attack by pretending to be dead, but lost her son Tywanza.
"Although my grandfather and the other victims died at the hands of hate, this is proof - everyone's plea for your soul is proof they lived in love and their legacies will live in love, so hate won't win," she said. The families are determined not to respond in kind, said Alana Simmons, who lost her grandfather, the Rev. A police affidavit released Friday accused Roof of shooting all nine multiple times, and making a "racially inflammatory statement" as he stood over an unnamed survivor.