21-Year-Old White Man Opens Fire in Black Historical Church in Charleston, South Carolina During Bible Study, Killing 9

Update: Suspect has been captured in Shelby, N.C., and is in custody

FBI  has identified suspect as 21-year-old Dylann Storm Roof

NAACP and National Urban League Respond to Charleston Church Mass Shooting Incident

NAACP’s Response:

Baltimore, MD/Charleston, SC — On Wednesday, June 17, nine parishioners were shot at Bible study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina — the oldest AME church in the South. The shooter is described as a white man in his twenties and remains at large.  Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen and Mayor Joe Riley have described the incident as a hate crime.  AME Church Elder Rev. Norvel Goff asks for prayers for the families and stands with the police in finding justice for these hate crimes.   Subsequently, the NAACP has released the following statement:

From Cornell William Brooks, NAACP President & CEO:

“The NAACP was founded to fight against racial hatred and we are outraged that 106 years later, we are faced today with another mass hate crime.  Our heartfelt prayers and soul-deep condolences go out to the families and community of the victims at Charleston’s historic Emanuel AME Church.  The senselessly slain parishioners were in a church for Wednesday night bible study. There is no greater coward than a criminal who enters a house of God and slaughters innocent people engaged in the study of scripture.  Today, I mourn as an AME minister, as a student and teacher of scripture, as well as a member of the NAACP.

The NAACP South Carolina State Conference and Charleston Branch have been working on the ground—with police and the community to bring this case to a close.  We remain vigilant while the local police and FBI investigate this hate crime and bring the shooter to justice.”

National Urban League’s Response:

Urban League’s Morial: Pray for Victims of Charleston Shooting

NEW YORK — Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League, released the following statement on the Charleston, S.C., church shooting:

“Our thoughts and prayers this morning are with the people of Charleston, S.C., where a gunman viciously murdered nine people during a prayer meeting.

“It’s always difficult to comprehend what motivates this type of hate crime, but it seems especially horrifying that it should occur in a place of worship, where people go to seek peace.

“We ask the nation to join us in a weekend of prayer the families of the victims, the devastated community, and the law enforcement officers who seek the killer.  We must confront undercurrent of violence and fear that still permeates our culture, and seek a path to peace.”