Suspect Arrested After Shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, Reported to Leave 9 Dead

The Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in central Charleston, South Carolina, was the scene of a shooting on Wednesday, June 17, 2015, that left at least nine people dead, according to reports. Police said a 21-year-old white man had shot African-American worshippers, and they arrested a suspect and began a search of the area immediately after the attack.

The church, described in the reports as the oldest AME church in the South, is attended mainly by African Americans. Police told CNN that several bodies were lying on the floor and had not yet been identified, and the number of victims was not yet known. Local pastor Thomas Dixon told CNN, “It’s a terrible scene,” and said a person apparently entered the church and began shooting. He said it was not known what had happened and that a suspect was still being sought.

State lawmaker Peter McCoy first confirmed the death toll on social media, indicating through his Twitter account that the number could rise to nine, though he said this was not official information. Another state legislator, Wendell G. Gilliard, whose district includes the church, also confirmed numerous fatalities and injuries. Reports said the dead and wounded were found both inside the church and in its religious atrium. The church’s pastor was inside the building, about to hold a religious service, when the shooting began, according to the Post and Courier.

The reports placed the attack in the context of the city’s recent events. Charleston has a large African American population, and in recent weeks there had been protests over a case of police violence against a young black man by a white officer. Helicopters flew over the area with searchlights that morning.

The church has a long history in South Carolina. According to the reports, its prominence extended beyond the state and dates to 1816, when several churches left the Methodist Episcopal Church of Charleston. The reports state that one of its founders, Denmark Vesey, led a slave revolt in 1822, and that white authorities later burned the church in retaliation. The church’s website describes the congregation as the “oldest AME church in the south.” Keeping that history before its members is a pattern that runs through the congregation’s story (Psalm 78:4).

Police released images from a security camera at the church showing the alleged perpetrator, whom they described as a thin white young man with brown hair cut “in a bowl,” wearing a light grey sweater. Police estimated his height at 175 centimeters and his age at about 20. The photographs were published on a Facebook page run by the City Council, together with a contact number for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to ask the public for help. The suspect left the church in a black sedan after the killing.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Spanish)