The city of Charleston is mourning today after 9 people were killed during a shooting inside a historic black church.
Police have arrested 21-year-old Dylann Storm Roof, who opened fire in a Bible study group at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina.
Police say Roof walked into a Bible study in Charleston, South Carolina, sat down with the group and opened fire.
In a Facebook photo of the shooter, he has a patch on his jacket that is the former flag representing Apartheid in South Africa.
Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church is known as “Mother Emanuel.” It's one of America’s oldest black churches -- a center of the civil rights movement. Dr. Martin Luther King once sat behind the altar in 1962.
Among the dead is the Pastor, Reverend Clementa Pinckney, who was also a popular state Senator. At 41, he was the youngest African-American lawmaker in state history.
Read: Cop Weeps After Shooting Suspect
"The only reason someone would walk into a church and shoot people that were praying is hate," Charleston Mayor Joe Riley said.
Six women and three men lost their lives. Eight victims died inside the church and one person was pronounced dead at the hospital.
There are also stunning stories of survival.
In released audio, the dispatcher said, “We got two people coming out, an adult female and a child. They were found in a room. They need to get checked out."
The shooter reportedly allowed one woman to live so she could tell the world about what he had done and a five-year-old played dead.
Before the madman made his escape, he's said to have reloaded five times. A bomb threat called in moments after the shooting added to the chaos.
Charleston Police circulated images of the suspect from surveillance video and the information below:
The shooting comes just two months after Walter Scott, an unarmed black man, was shot in the back by a white police officer in neighboring North Charleston which sparked protests and racial tension in the area.
Read: Walter Scott's Family Shares Memories of His Childhood and Life
The city is grieving but community leaders say they hope that peace will prevail on the streets of Charleston.
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