News Digest

Charleston church shooter ‘confesses to killing 9 to spark race riots’

Dylann Roof has been charged with nine counts of murder and possession of a firearm in connection with the Charleston church shooting - and has also reportedly confessed to the chilling crime. In a post on its Twitter account, Charleston police said Roof will have a bond hearing later today, although he’s not expected to attend. Reports claim the 21-year-old has confessed to killing nine members of a Bible study group at the historic Emanuel Africa Methodist Episcopal church in South Carolina and said he intended to trigger racial confrontations as a result. Charles Francis, a spokesman for Charleston Police, declined to comment on reports of a confession, however.

This is an absolute hate crime. We’ve been talking with the investigators because we’ve been going through the interviews, they said they looked pure evil in the eye.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley

Roof was arrested Thursday four hours from Charleston in Shelby, North Carolina. He is reported to have been in the prayer group meeting for an hour before allegedly opening fire. A survivor of the attack said the gunman reloaded five times and when asked to stop shooting, replied: “I have to do it. You rape our women and you are taking over the country. And you have to go.” Authorities have been investigating the attack as a hate crime. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley argued Roof should be tried on state charges and prosecutors should pursue a death sentence.