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Charleston church shooting

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"2015 Charleston shooting" redirects here. For the shooting by a North Charleston police officer, see Shooting of Walter Scott.
Charleston church shooting
A white-painted church at sunset.
The Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in 2008
Charleston church shooting is located in South Carolina
Charleston church shooting
Charleston church shooting (South Carolina)
LocationCharleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Coordinates32°47′14″N 79°55′59″W / 32.78722°N 79.93306°W / 32.78722; -79.93306
DateJune 17, 2015 (2015-06-17)
c. 9:05 p.m. (EDT)
TargetAfrican Americans
Attack type
Mass shooting, hate crime (suspected)[1]
Deaths9[1]
Injured1[2]
MotiveSuspected hate crime[1]

On the evening of June 17, 2015, a mass shooting took place at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, United States. The church is one of the United States' oldest black churches and has long been a site for community organizing around civil rights.[3] The senior pastor, the Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney, a state senator, was among the nine people killed.[4] In the immediate aftermath, police sought a white male, later identified as Dylann Roof, who was captured the morning after the attack in Shelby, North Carolina.[5] The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime by local and federal officials.[1] It was the deadliest attack at an American place of worship since a 1991 mass murder at the Wat Promkunaram Buddhist temple in Waddell, Arizona in which nine people also died.[6]

Background

The 199-year-old church has played an important role in the state's history, including the slavery era and the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, and the Black Lives Matter movement in the 2010s.[7] The church was founded in 1816 and is the oldest African Methodist Episcopal Church in the South, often referred to as "Mother Emanuel".[4][8] It is the oldest historically black congregation south of Baltimore. When one of the church's co-founders, Denmark Vesey, tried to start a slave rebellion in Charleston in 1822, 35 people, including Vesey, were executed and the church was burned down.[9] The congregation rebuilt the church in 1834.[10]

Reverend Pinckney had held rallies after the shooting of Walter Scott by a white police officer on April 4 in nearby North Charleston, and as a state senator he pushed for legislation requiring police to wear body cameras.[11] Robert Mickey, a University of Michigan political scientist, noted several similarities between the attack at Emanuel and the 1963 bombing of a politically active African-American church in Birmingham, Alabama where Ku Klux Klan members killed four black girls and injured fourteen others, an attack that galvanized the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.[3] A number of scholars, journalists, activists, and politicians have emphasized the need to understand the attack in the broader context of racism in the United States, rather than seeing it as an isolated event of racially motivated violence.[12][13][14][15]

Details

At around 9:05 p.m. EDT on June 17, 2015, the Charleston Police Department responded to calls of a shooting at Emanuel A.M.E. church.[9] A man described as white, with sandy-blond hair, around 21 years old and 5 feet 9 inches (175 cm) in height, wearing a gray sweatshirt and jeans, opened fire on the church during a Bible study attended by Senator Pinckney and then fled.[16][17]

For nearly an hour prior to the attack, the shooter participated and stayed at the Bible study.[18] A total of thirteen people attended the Bible study, including the shooter. According to the accounts of people who talked to survivors, the shooter asked for Pinckney and sat down next to him, initially listening to others during the study. He then began to disagree when they began speaking about Scripture. After a while, the shooter then stood up and pulled out a gun, aiming it at 87-year-old Susie Jackson. Jackson's nephew, 26-year-old recent college graduate Tywanza Sanders, tried to talk him down and asked him why he was attacking churchgoers, to which the shooter responded, "I have to do it. You rape our women and you're taking over our country. And you have to go." When he expressed his intention to shoot everyone, Sanders dove in front of Jackson and was shot first. The suspect then shot the other victims, all the while shouting racial epithets. Sanders' mother and his five-year-old niece, who were both attending the study, survived the shooting by pretending to be dead.[19][20][21][6] Dot Scott, president of the local branch of the NAACP, said she had heard from victims' relatives that the shooter spared one woman (Sanders' mother[22]) so she could, according to him, tell other people what happened.[23]

Several hours later, a bomb threat was called into the Courtyard by Marriott hotel on Calhoun Street, complicating the investigation and prompting an evacuation of the immediate area.[9][24]

Earlier that day, prior to the shooting, Hillary Clinton, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, campaigned in Charleston. She attended a fundraiser at a home less than half a mile (800 m) away and left before the shooting occurred. Pinckney was one of the attendees at the Clinton fundraiser.[25][26][27]

Victims

All of the victims were black, six women and three men. Eight died at the scene, while the ninth, Daniel Simmons, died in the hospital.[17][23] They were all killed by gunshots fired at close range.[6] One other person was wounded, but survived.[2] The fatalities were identified as:[28]

  • Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd, 54, Bible study member
  • Susie Jackson, 87, Bible study member
  • Ethel Lee Lance, 70, church sexton
  • Depayne Middleton, 49, Bible study member
  • Clementa C. Pinckney, 41, church pastor and South Carolina state senator
  • Myra Thompson, 59, Bible study member
  • Tywanza Sanders, 26, Bible study member
  • Daniel Simmons, 74, reverend at the church
  • Sharonda Singleton, 45, reverend at the church

Suspect

Dylann Storm Roof (born April 3, 1994) was named by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as the suspected killer. He was born in Columbia, South Carolina, and was living in largely African-American Eastover at the time of the attack.[6] One image on his Facebook page shows him in a jacket decorated with the flags of two former nations noted for their white supremacist policies, apartheid-era South Africa and Rhodesia.[29][30][31] According to his roommate, Roof expressed his support of racial segregation in the United States and had intended to start a civil war.[32] According to a childhood friend, Roof went on a rant about the shooting of Trayvon Martin and the 2015 Baltimore protests that were sparked by the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody.[33] He also reportedly told neighbors of his plans to kill people, including a plot to attack the College of Charleston, but his claims were not taken seriously.[34] However, it was noted by a former high school classmate that despite racist comments he made, a number of Roof's friends were black.[35]

Roof attended several schools in two counties, including White Knoll High School in Lexington, in which he repeated the ninth grade, finishing it in another school. After that point, he apparently stopped attending classes and it was unclear whether he dropped out or was transferred to another school.[35][36][34] He has a prior criminal record consisting of two arrests, both made in the months preceding the attack.[37][38] On March 2, he was questioned about a February 28 incident at the Columbiana Centre in Columbia, in which he entered the mall wearing all-black clothing and asked employees unsettling questions. During the questioning, they found a bottle of what was later admitted to be Suboxone, a narcotic used to treat opiate addictions, and Roof was arrested for drug possession. He was subsequently banned from the Columbiana Centre for a year, but after he was arrested again on April 26 for trespassing on the mall grounds, the ban was extended to three additional years.[33][35]

Roof's uncle, Carson Cowles, told Reuters that as his nephew was 19 years old he worried that "he still didn't have a job, a driver's licence or anything like that and he just stayed in his room a lot of the time".[39] He told that Roof got a .45-caliber pistol from his father for his 21st birthday in April.[40][41] Roof’s father could face up to 10 years in prison, if the prosecutors can show that the father knew about his son’s indictment but gave him the gun anyway.[42]

Investigation

A man matching the description of the attacker was initially detained outside a nearby convenience store but was released after police determined he was not the perpetrator.[9] The attack is being treated as a hate crime by police, and officials from the FBI were called in to assist in the investigation and manhunt.[17]

On the morning after the attack, at 10:44 a.m., Roof was captured in a traffic stop in Shelby, North Carolina, approximately 245 miles from the shooting scene. He was armed with a gun during the arrest, though it was unclear if it was the same one used in the attack.[5][43] From security camera images taken at the church and distributed to the media, a late-to-work florist, Debbie Dills, from Gastonia, North Carolina recognized Roof driving his car on U.S. Route 74, saying, "I got closer and saw that haircut. I was nervous. I had the worst feeling. Is that him or not him?" She called her employer, who contacted local police. The alert motorist tailed the suspect's car for 35 miles until she was certain authorities were moving in for an arrest.[44] Roof waived his extradition rights and was flown back to South Carolina on the evening of June 18 to be held at the Charleston County jail.[20]

Aftermath

At Morris Brown African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, numerous people of different races and religions attended a ceremony commemorating the victims and proclaimed that the attack would not divide the community.[20]

Heidi Beirich, the director of the Intelligence Project for the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in Montgomery, which tracks the activity of American hate groups, said the gunman's reported comments reflected a major topic on white supremacist Internet forums, which are preoccupied with the idea that whites are being hugely victimized by blacks and no one is paying attention. The specter of white women being sexually assaulted by black men has a long history as well, she said, "It's probably the oldest racist trope we have in the U.S."[45] At this point in the investigation, it is unclear whether the suspect had any connection to hate groups, although Beirich says such groups have been growing over the past decade and "for several years South Carolina has been the place with the highest density of hate groups."[46] The attack also prompted a response from President Obama, focusing on gun control issues, saying "this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries".[47]

Reactions

A prayer vigil at Morris Brown AME Church

Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. denounced the attack and said:

"Of all cities, in Charleston, to have a horrible hateful person go into the church and kill people there to pray and worship with each other is something that is beyond any comprehension and is not explained. We are going to put our arms around that church and that church family."

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said:

"While we do not yet know all of the details, we do know that we'll never understand what motivates anyone to enter one of our places of worship and take the life of another. Please join us in lifting up the victims and their families with our love and prayers."[48]

President Barack Obama held a press conference on June 18 and said:

"[I want] to express [my] deep sorrow over the senseless murders that took place last night. Michelle and I know several members of Emanuel AME Church. We knew their pastor, Reverend Clementa Pinckney, who, along with eight others, gathered in prayer and fellowship and was murdered last night. And to say our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families, and their community doesn’t say enough to convey the heartache and the sadness and the anger that we feel."[49]

Eighteen candidates or likely candidates for the 2016 U.S. presidential election expressed reactions through various media.[50]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Bever, Lindsey; Costa, Robert (June 17, 2015). "9 dead in shooting at historic Charleston African American church. Police chief calls it 'hate crime.'". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Charleston church shooting: First picture of 'gunman' on the run after nine people shot dead". Daily Mirror. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Kaplan, Sarah (June 18, 2015). "For Charleston's Emanuel AME Church, shooting is another painful chapter in rich history". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Payne, Ed (June 18, 2015). "Charleston church shooting: Multiple fatalities in South Carolina, source says". CNN. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Charleston church shooting suspect Dylann Roof in custody in NC". WIS. WorldNow and WISTV. June 18, 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d "Church shooting suspect Dylann Roof captured amid hate crime investigation". The Washington Post. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  7. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/10/magazine/our-demand-is-simple-stop-killing-us.html
  8. ^ Pinckney, Reverend Honorable Clementa C. (February 20, 2015). "Civil Rights Ride 2013 – Clementa C. Pinckney, SC Senate, Pastor Mother Emanuel A.M.E." Mullikin Law Firm. Retrieved June 18, 2015. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  9. ^ a b c d "Nine shot, multiple fatalities reported in downtown church shooting". June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  10. ^ "US: at least 9 killed in Charleston church massacre". Euronews. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  11. ^ Cleary, Tom (June 18, 2015). "Clementa Pinckney Dead: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  12. ^ Friedersdorf, Connor (June 18, 2015). "Thugs and Terrorists Have Attacked Black Churches for Generations". The Atlantic. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  13. ^ Butler, Anthea (June 18, 2015). "Shooters of color are called 'terrorists' and 'thugs.' Why are white shooters called 'mentally ill'?". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  14. ^ "Black lives - and churches - matter". www.aljazeera.com. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  15. ^ Greer, Reverend Broderick (June 18, 2015). "Terrorism in Charleston demands the government act like black lives matter | The Rev Broderick Greer". The Guardian. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  16. ^ McLeod, Harriet (June 17, 2015). "Gunman at large after killing nine at black South Carolina church". Yahoo! News. Reuters. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  17. ^ a b c "Everything We Know About the Charleston Shooting". TIME. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  18. ^ "Pastor, 8 others, fatally shot at church in Charleston, SC". MSN. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  19. ^ "Church Gunman Reportedly Said: 'I have to do it'". NBC News. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  20. ^ a b c Horowitz, Jason; Corasaniti, Nick; Pérez-Peña, Richard (June 18, 2015). "Church Shooting Suspect Dylann Roof Is Brought Back to Charleston". The New York Times. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  21. ^ "Charleston shooting: Five-year-old child who 'played dead' among survivors in South Carolina". The Independent. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  22. ^ Battiste, Nikki; Shapiro, Emily; Stone, Matthew (June 18, 2015). "Charleston Shooting: What the Gunman Allegedly Told Churchgoers Before the Shooting". ABC News. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  23. ^ a b "Who is the Charleston church shooting suspect?". CNN.com. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  24. ^ "Charleston church shooting: police release image of suspect - latest updates". Guardian. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  25. ^ "Update: 6 females, 3 males were killed at church (+ video)". The State. June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  26. ^ "Nine Killed at Historic Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina". NBC News. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  27. ^ Horowitz, Jason; Corasaniti, Nick; Southall, Ashley (June 18, 2015). "Nine Killed in Shooting at Black Church in Charleston". The New York Times. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  28. ^ "Charleston Shooting Victims Identified". ABC News. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  29. ^ "Charleston Church Shooting Suspect, Dylann Storm Roof, Is Captured". New York Times. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  30. ^ "On Facebook, Dylann Roof, Charleston Suspect, Wears Symbols of White Supremacy". New York Times. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  31. ^ "Everything Known About Charleston Church Shooting Suspect Dylann Roff". The Daily Beast. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  32. ^ "Charleston Shooting: A Closer Look at Alleged Gunman Dylann Roof". Yahoo! News. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  33. ^ a b "Dylann Roof, Suspected Charleston Church Shooting Gunman Has Troubled Past". NBC News. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  34. ^ a b Mindock, Clark (June 18, 2015). "Charleston Shooting Racial Motivation? Dylann Storm Roof Told Black Neighbor He Planned On Killing". The International Business Times. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  35. ^ a b c "Dylann Roof: Racist jokes and black friends -- a man of contradictions". The Los Angeles Times. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  36. ^ "Charleston shooting: Dylann Roof named as suspect". BBC News. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  37. ^ "Dylann Storm Roof arrested in North Carolina". KFOR. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  38. ^ Old, Jason (June 18, 2015). "Police: Dylann Roof arrested for trespassing, drug possession at Columbiana Centre". WISTV.com. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  39. ^ "South Carolina massacre suspect Dylann Roof had apparent interest in white supremacy". Sydney Morning Herald. June 19, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  40. ^ http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/18/us-usa-shooting-south-carolina-uncle-idUSKBN0OY1W120150618
  41. ^ http://www.smh.com.au/world/south-carolina-massacre-suspect-dylann-roof-had-apparent-interest-in-white-supremacy-20150618-ghrtrg.html
  42. ^ The legal loophole that allowed Dylann Roof to get a gun
  43. ^ "Shooting suspect in custody after Charleston church massacre". CNN. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  44. ^ "Tip from Kings Mountain florists led to Charleston shooting suspect's arrest". Shelby Star. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  45. ^ "Dylann Roof, Charleston Suspect, Wore Symbols of White Supremacy". The New York Times. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  46. ^ "Charleston mass shooting: Reminder of past racist attacks on black churches". The Christian Science Monitor. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  47. ^ "Obama On Charleston Shooting: 'This Type Of Mass Violence Does Not Happen In Other Advanced Countries'". The Huffington Post. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  48. ^ "9 people killed in shooting at black church in Charleston, S.C." CBC. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  49. ^ "Read President Obama's Speech on the Charleston Church Shooting". Time Magazine. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  50. ^ "U.S. presidential candidates react to South Carolina church shootings". Reuters. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
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