Suspect caught for killing nine people
Officials said the shooter sat at the church meeting for an hour before opening fire
Dylann Roof, 21, is suspected of fatally shooting three men and six women who gathered on Wednesday night for a prayer meeting at a historic black church in Charleston Wednesday night. Roof, of Lexington, South Carolina, was arrested Thursday during a traffic stop in Shelby, North Carolina.
Officials said the shooter sat at the church meeting for an hour before opening fire. “There is absolutely no doubt in my mind this is a hate crime,” Charleston’s police chief said Thursday. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said she has launched a hate crime investigation into the attack. Charleston’s mayor on Thursday called the attack a “horrific crime” and an “unspeakable act.” Roof’s roommate told ABC that he had likely been planning the attack for six months.
