Police in North Carolina have arrested Dylann Roof, the man they believe shot and killed nine people at a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church last night in Charleston, South Carolina. According to authorities, Roof told the victims that he was there “to shoot black people.” The congregation at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church dates back 200 years, and is a well known historic African-American church in the area.
According to CNN, one of the survivors told the NAACP, Roof told them, “I’m not going to kill you, I’m going to spare you, so you can tell them what happened.” In a statement following the shooting, President Obama said, “Now is the time for mourning and healing, but let’s be clear: At some point as a country, we have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries. It is in our power to do something about it,” …
