New charges in Charleston, SC church shooting

We presented three additional Attempted Murder charges to the grand jury and the Defendant was subsequently indicted for those charges.

Dylann Roof, 21, is accused in the June 17 massacre that left nine people dead at Charleston’s predominantly black Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Episcopal Church.

South Carolina Sen. Clementa Pickney, 41, who was also a pastor at the church; Cynthia Hurd, 54; Tywanza Sanders, 26; Myra Thompson, 59; Ethel Lance, 70; Susie Jackson, 87; and the reverends DePayne Middleton Doctor, 49; Sharonda Singleton, 45; and Daniel Simmons Sr., 74, died in the attack.

“We have been in constant contact” with local and state police, as well as the federal Department of Justice, Wilson said in a statement. Roof is next expected in court in October on the murder charges, and online court records did not show any additional dates for the new indictments, which had not yet been posted.

Roof was arrested the day after the shooting more than 200 miles away in North Carolina and then flown back to Charleston.

Federal hate crime charges also are possible as the FBI continues to look into what role Roof’s alleged expressions of white supremacy played into the shooting.

The new charges were announced by the South Carolina district prosecutor for Charleston, Scarlett Wilson.

Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina has said Roof “absolutely” should be put to death, if convicted.

A white supremacist manifesto purportedly written by Roof to explain why he targeted the church says he had “no choice” but to target African Americans, whom he derided as “stupid and violent”.

Criminal complaints from the previous charges filed against Roof said he entered the church and met with the parishioners at a Bible study for an hour before opening fire.