Nine killed in shooting at South Carolina church, gunman still at large

[Little Red Wagon Repairman]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/06/18/police-respond-to-shooting-at-sc-church/

Nine killed in shooting at South Carolina church, gunman still at large
Published June 18, 2015 FoxNews.com

Nine people were killed late Wednesday at a historic black church in Charleston, S.C. after a white gunman walked in during a prayer meeting and began shooting.

Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen told a press conference early Thursday that the gunman, described as a clean-shaven man in his early 20s, was still at large and "extremely dangerous."

"This is a tragedy that no community should have to experience," Mullen said. "It is senseless and unfathomable in today's society that someone would walk into a church during a prayer meeting and take their lives."

"The only reason that someone could walk into a church and shoot people praying is out of hate," said Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley. "It is the most dastardly act that one could possibly imagine, and we will bring that person to justice ... This is one hateful person."

Mullen said that the shooting would be investigated as a hate crime, but would not elaborate further. He also announced that a reward for information leading to the shooter's capture would be offered Thursday.

As Mullen and Riley updated the news media, a group of pastors huddled together praying in a circle across the street.

Earlier, police moved members of the news media back away from the site due to what they called an "imminent" threat. They did not release any details.

Authorities said the shooting took place at approximately 9 p.m. local time. Police would not immediately confirm the identities of the victims. Mullen said there were survivors, but did not say how many, or how many were inside the church at the time of the shooting.

It was also not immediately clear whether Clementa Pinckney, the church's pastor and a member of the South Carolina state Senate, was a victim of the shooting. Antjuan Seawright, a spokesman for state Senate Democrats, told the Associated Press he hadn't heard from Pinkney or his family.

"We are praying," Seawright said.

Police described the suspect as having a small or slender build. He was wearing a gray sweatshirt with blue jeans and Timberland boots, and was clean shaven.

Approximately two hours after the shooting, a man matching the suspect's description was briefly detained near the shooting scene, but was later let go by police. The man, identified as 21-year-old David Corrie, told the Post and Courier he was walking out of a Shell gas station's convenience store when police forced him to get down on the ground and handcuffed him.

The campaign of GOP presidential hopeful Jeb Bush sent out an email saying that due to the shooting, the candidate had canceled an event planned in the city Thursday. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley issued a statement calling the shooting a "senseless tragedy."

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

The church is a historic African-American church that traces its roots to 1816, when several churches split from Charleston's Methodist Episcopal church. One of its founders, Denmark Vesey, tried to organize a slave revolt in 1822. He was caught, and white landowners had his church burned in revenge. Parishioners worshipped underground until after the Civil War.

Anyone with information on the gunman's whereabouts is asked to contact Charleston Police dispatch at 843-743-7200.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

[Ace Boobtoucher]

Despicable.

 

[Jack Davenport]

Just found out about this. I am without words.

 

[Jack Davenport]

I hope they catch this motherfucker alive.

 

[sean miguel]

Churches need to have armed security or arm their deacons. Nothing is off limits anymore. This guy reloaded 5 times. These people were slaughtered like sheep.

 

[Jack Davenport]

They have identified a suspect

http://abcnews.go.com/US/charleston-shooting-suspect-identified-fbi-dylann-roof-21/story?id=31851054

21 year old kid named Dylann. You are asking for trouble to name your kid Dylann or Dylan.

 

[Jack Davenport]

Those horrible law enforcement officers that have been demonized for the past year acted swiftly to apprehend a racist or mad man or both that massacred 9 black people.

 

[Jack Davenport]

Now Stompy Foot starts with the anti gun rhetoric. Although he is predictable he could have at least waited until they tagged the victims' toes before he starts up which surprises even me

No SWAT team apprehended this punk , FBI agents didn't catch him. Local law enforcement did. You know, the type they have been trying to take off of our streets for the past year.

 

[Straight Shooter]

You shouldn't be allowed to get a gun if you look like this



Or this

 

[Chopper3000]

A Cricket bat would have prevented all this from happening.

 

[Little Red Wagon Repairman]

http://www.people.com/article/dylann-storm-roof-charleston-church-shooting

Before he opened fire, a young parishioner at the church confronted him and tried to calm him down, Sylvia Stevenson Johnson, cousin of slain Rev. Clementa Pinckney, told PEOPLE.

Roof allegedly responded: "No. You've raped our women and you've stolen and you've taken over the country, so no, this must be done," Johnson said.

Roof's uncle Carson Cowles told the Reuters news service that Roof's father had given his son a .45 caliber pistol for his birthday this past spring. Cowles said he recognized Roof prior to his arrest in a photo that was released by Charleston police.

"Nobody in my family had seen anything like this coming," Cowles said. "I said, if it is him, and when they catch him, he's got to pay for this."

He described the suspect as quiet and soft-spoken, and he said he previously had raised concern with his sister, who is Roof's mother, that her son was too introverted.

"I said he was like 19 years old, he still didn't have a job, a driver's license or anything like that and he just stayed in his room a lot of the time," Cowles said.

Local court records reveal Roof was charged with a drug offense in March and with trespassing in April.

https://twitter.com/search?q=Dylann Roof&src=typd

 

[Ace Boobtoucher]

Blessed be the peacemakers, and as important a role that the police, firefighters and EMTs play, they're not the real first responders. They are the second responders. The real first responder to a threat against your life or property is you. You wouldn't call 911 to report a fire, and then just stand there while the flames rage around you until the fire department showed up to carry you out. You wouldn't call 911 for an ambulance, and then stand there looking at your kid turning blue at the bottom of the pool. And you sure as fuck shouldn't be reaching for a phone if someone is trying to kill you. You should be reaching for something, anything to defend yourself with. Don't like firearms? No fucking problems. Get yourself a knife or some pepper spray or a Taser, or any other fucking thing you can lay your hands on. Just take an active role in your own self-preservation. Unfortunately, current South Carolina state law prohibits permitted individuals from carrying a weapon in a church (S.C. Code Ann § 21-31-215). If even one of those poor sons-of-bitches had something in which to defend their lives, perhaps this may have turned out a little differently.

www.ehowa.com

 

[Mr. Daystar]

This kind of shit is beyond fucked up...to bad he didn't draw on the cops...maybe save a few million, on due process and so forth. I saw on Yahoo, they did catch him...if this fuck wad isn't put in an electric chair, and soon, I'm giving up on faith in the justice system.

 

[Jagger69]

Getting rid of guns won't stop racism.

Here's the text of an email I received from Bernie Sanders' campaign today. Notice it says nothing about guns and focuses on the hate that was the motive for the crime:

What transpired in Charleston, South Carolina, last night was not just a tragedy, it was an act of terror.
Nine of our fellow Americans were murdered while praying in a historic church because of the color of their skin. This senseless violence fills me with outrage, disgust, and a deep, deep sadness.

This hateful killing is a horrific reminder that, while we have made important progress in civil rights for all of our people, we are far from eradicating racism.

The Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church is one that has been attacked, burned, and rebuilt throughout its 200-year history. While their community mourns now, they will rebuild, and they will emerge stronger than before. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and their congregation. But we can add our actions to our prayers. The families and the community that have been hurt so very badly by this brutality need our help. Let us stand with them in their time of mourning.

 

[Jack Davenport]

The conversation should not be about limiting the rights of law abiding gun owners because of the actions of a few sick individuals. The conversation should be about the one common denominator during tragedies such as this. In at least 90 percent of them the perpetrator is either being administered psychotropic drugs or is a known drug abuser.

 

[Straight Shooter]

The conversation should not be about limiting the rights of law abiding gun owners because of the actions of a few sick individuals. The conversation should be about the one common denominator during tragedies such as this. In at least 90 percent of them the perpetrator is either being administered psychotropic drugs or is a known drug abuser.

The one common denominator is that it's always a white guy who does this shit. It's time to start profiling white dudes

 

[assari]

Guns do not kill, but a man with gun can kill.

 

[sean miguel]

This guy, the Sandy Hook, Aurora theater, Columbine, etc. shooters all fit the same profile - young, introverted, loners with psychological issues. That, and pure evil.

 

[Ace Boobtoucher]

Guns do not kill, but a man with gun can kill.

I know, idiot. Keep your head down or that craigslist sniper will get a bead on you. You suck.

 

[Straight Shooter]

This guy, the Sandy Hook, Aurora theater, Columbine, etc. shooters all fit the same profile - young, introverted, loners with psychological issues. That, and pure evil.

You forgot that they're white