Charleston Church Shooting: White Gunman Kills 9 At Historic Black Church

Nine people were shot to death by a white man at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday night, il Charleston Police Departmentconfirmed at a news conference early Thursday. The gunman entered the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church during a weekly bible study meeting and opened fire around 9 pm, ha detto la polizia. Eight people were found dead at the scene. Two others were transported to a hospital, where one later died. “The only reason someone could walk into a church and shoot people praying is out of hate,” said Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, speaking at the same news conference. “It is the most dastardly act that one could possibly imagine.”

Six women and three men were murdered. None of the victims has yet been named by police, but State House Minority leader Todd Rutherford told the Associated Press that the church’s pastor, state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, was among the dead. The Department of Justice, FBI and US Attorney’s Office are launching a hate crime investigation into the killings.

LEGGI TUTTO: Huffingtonpost.com