The victims of Wednesday's mass shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, were bonded in life by their faith and their close links to the historic African-American church where they worshipped, studied the Bible, and were killed. The six women and three men fatally shot at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church included a high school track and field coach, a studious Dallas Cowboys fan, a dedicated librarian and a state senator and preacher whose voice commanded respect.
They opened up their Bible study class to a young white man who police later named as the suspect in their murders. Dylann Roof, 21, was arrested in Shelby, North Carolina, about 220 miles (350 km) away, on Thursday. Clementa Pinckney, 41, senior pastor at Emanuel and a Democratic member of the state senate, was the most prominent victim. Pinckney grew up in Jasper County, South Carolina, began preaching at age 13 and became a pastor five years later.
Dylann Roof, who police say opened fire and killed nine people during a prayer meeting at a historic African American church here, was arrested Thursday, more than 13 hours after the chilling attack. Roof, a 21-year-old high-school dropout from Eastover, S.C., was taken into custody in North Carolina not long after law enforcement officials identified him as the sole suspect in the Wednesday night massacre, the most deadliest attack on a place of worship in the United States in 24 years. The oldest victim was 87; the youngest was 26. They included a library manager, a track and field coach and a state senator, Clementa Pinckney, who also served as senior pastor at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, where the shooting occurred.
Federal law enforcement officials said Roof, who is white, declared his hatred for black people before opening fire, and the U.S. Justice Department has said it is investigating the attack as a hate crime. Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen said Roof was arrested during a traffic stop in Shelby, N.C., at around 11 a.m. Mullen said Roof "was cooperative with the officer who stopped him" in Shelby, about 250 miles by road northwest of Charleston.