The New York Times is doing live coverage.
What We Know
- A gunman identified by city and federal law enforcement officials as Dylann Storm Roof, 21, opened fire at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of the nation’s oldest black churches, on Wednesday evening, killing nine.
- The Rev. Clementa Pinckney, the church’s pastor and a state senator, was killed, according to the minority leader of the State House of Representatives.
- The police said the other victims were six women and two men.
- The Charleston police chief, Greg Mullen, called the attack a hate crime.
And then – a completely nauseating eyewitness account:
Sylvia Johnson, one of the Rev. Clementa Pinckney’s cousins, said in an interview with NBC that she had spoken with one of the survivors of the shooting, who gave her this account.
The gunman arrived at the church and asked for the pastor, taking a seat next to him for the study meeting. At the end, the survivor told Ms. Johnson, they suddenly heard loud noises. The gunman had opened fire, and reloaded five times.
“Her son was trying to talk him out of doing the act of killing people,” Ms. Johnson said.
According to Ms. Johnson, the survivor said the gunman replied.
“He just said: ‘I have to do it. You rape our women and you are taking over our country. And you have to go.’ “
I need to throw up now.