Nine Killed In ‘Hate Crime’ Shooting At Charleston Church

A white man opened fire during a prayer meeting inside a historic black church in downtown Charleston on Wednesday night, killing nine people, including the pastor, in an assault that authorities described as a hate crime. The shooter remained at large Thursday morning.
The shooting took place at the Emanuel AME Church and police chief Greg Mullen described the suspect as a white male in his early 20s. He said there were survivors, but wouldn’t say how many, or how many were inside at the time of the shooting.
“We will put all effort, we will put all resources and we will put all of our energy into finding this individual who committed this crime tonight,” Mr. Mullen said, adding that the FBI would be involved in the investigation.

Mr. Mullen said the scene was chaotic when police arrived and that officers thought they had the suspect tracked with a police dog, but he got away.

Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley called the shooting “the most unspeakable and heartbreaking tragedy.”
“The only reason that someone could walk into a church and shoot people praying is out of hate,” Mr. Riley said. “It is the most dastardly act that one could possibly imagine, and we will bring that person to justice.…This is one hateful person.”
State House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford told the Associated Press that the church’s pastor, state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, was among those killed.
Mr. Pinckney, 41, was a married father of two who was elected to the state house aged 23, making him the youngest member of the House at the time.

A man kneels across the street from where police gather outside the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting Wednesday. Photo: Associated Press

“He never had anything bad to say about anybody, even when I thought he should,” Mr. Rutherford said. “He was always out doing work either for his parishioners or his constituents. He touched everybody.”
The attack comes two months after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man, Walter Scott, by a white police officer in neighboring North Charleston, which sparked major protests and highlighted racial tensions in the area. The officer has been charged with murder.
In a statement, Gov. Nikki Haley asked South Carolinians to pray for the victims and their families and decried violence on religious places.
“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,” Mrs. Haley said.