Thread: Charleston church shooting

SC Sen. Pinckney among 9 dead in Charleston church shooting; Suspect sought

Posted: Jun 17, 2015 8:08 PM CDT

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - South Carolina Senator Clementa C. Pinckney is among the nine people who were shot and killed inside a downtown Charleston church late Wednesday night, according to local civil rights activist Elder James Johnson.

Charleston Police confirm nine people were killed after shots were fired during a prayer meeting inside Emanuel AME Church on Calhoun Street around 9:05 p.m. Police Chief Greg Mullen said officers arrived to find eight people dead inside the church. A ninth victim died later at a nearby hospital.
Three people survived the attack, Mullen said.

Elder James Johnson, President of the Charleston Chapter of the National Action News, said Pinckney was shot inside the church. Pinckney, 41, served as pastor for Emanuel AME in addition to his role as a state senator for District 45.

Mullen said the gunman sat through an hour-long bible study before he began shooting church members. He then fled the scene.

Charleston Police released surveillance photos of the suspect during a 6 a.m. news conference. They also released a photo of the vehicle he allegedly drove away in.

The suspect is considered armed and dangerous.The suspect is described as a white male, 21 years old, slender/small build, gray sweat shirt, blue jeans and clean shaven.

Mullen said the shooting occurred during a prayer meeting at the church. Authorities have not yet released the identities of the nine victims, but did say three males and six females were killed.

The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime, Mullen said. "This is clearly a tragedy in the City of Charleston," Mullen said."We are all praying and our hearts go out to the victims and their families as well as this entire community...When officers arrived they found a number of victims inside and we had also individuals who were transported to the MUSC emergency trauma center. As the investigation continued we were able to determine that there were eight deceased individuals inside of the church."

According to Mullen, one victim was transported to MUSC where they later died.

"We have investigators that are out tracking, leads are coming in and we will continue to do that until we find this individual who carried out this crime tonight and bring him to justice," Mullen said. "This is a tragedy that no community should have to experience. It is senseless, it is unfathomable that somebody in today's society would walk into a church when people are having a prayer meeting and take their lives."

"This is a most unspeakable and heartbreaking tragedy," said Mayor Joe Riley."People in prayer on Wednesday evening. A ritual of coming together, praying and worshiping god, and to have an awful person come in and shoot them is inexplicable. Obviously, the most intolerable and unbelievable act possible."

"The only reason someone could walk into a church and shoot people praying is out of hate, the only reason," Riley said. "It is the most dastardly act that one can possibly imagine, and we will bring that person to justice as soon as possible."

Mullen and Riley will hold a second media briefing at 7 a.m. at the Charleston Maritime Center, located at 10 Wharfside Dr.

A helicopter assisted law enforcement on the scene. Witnesses reported a big police presence was seen at the Emanuel AME Church on Calhoun Street. The FBI and the Chaplain service are also on the scene. "We have all the resources that are available to us, not only locally but from the state as well as federal agencies," Mullen said. "We have resources that are being flown in right now from Washington, D.C. that will help us not only track leads but also work this investigation. And I can say that we will put all effort, we will put all resources and all of our energy in finding the individual who committed this crime tonight."

"The message to the community is that this is an opportunity for us all to unite because of a significant tragedy that has occurred," Mullen said.

Mullen said he can understand the anger and upset throughout the community, but he urged calm and unity to pray for the families and help police track down the person responsible.

"And what we need is for the community to look at this and say, 'We have had enough of this violence, and if we stand up together, we can stop this violence.' And that's what we need the community to do," he said.

Calhoun Street between Meeting Street and Anson Street, as well as Anson Street between Calhoun Street and George Street remain closed while police continue to investigate.

Anyone with information about the shooting can call the Charleston Police tip line at (843) 529-3750.

Man cleared following arrest on scene; Bomb threat called in

A man matching the suspect's description who was initially arrested at the scene has been released.

The man, identified as local photographer Austin Rich, says he was released after being questioned by police officers.

Around 11:30 p.m., police began pushing media and bystanders across Meeting Street after officers say a bomb threat was reported in the area of the crime scene. Officials announced Thursday at 12:45 a.m. the bomb threat had been called off.

Mullen said the gunman sat through an hour-long bible study before he began shooting church members

This is one twisted person.

These Are The Victims Of The Charleston Church Shooting

Nine people were killed Wednesday night when a shooter opened fire at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, during a prayer meeting.

posted on Jun. 18, 2015, at 10:57 a.m.

Sharonda Coleman-Singleton



A 45-year-old mother of three, reverend, and high school track coach, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton was killed while attending a prayer group at Emanuel AME Church.

Coleman-Singleton coached the girls track team at Goose Creek High School. The school remembered her Thursday with a post on its Facebook page.

Her cousin, Constance Kinder, told BuzzFeed News that Coleman-Singleton was a “beautiful spirit.”

“Sharonda was pretty on the outside and just as beautiful on the inside — the one thing I know for sure she loved the lord so she was where she enjoyed being. She was only 45 years old, she still has three kids to raise.”

Kinder said that her Sharonda would always end a conversation or a text message with “love you cousin.”

In addition to her work with the high school, Coleman-Singleton was a reverend at Emanuel AME Church, according to their website. Her son, Chris Singleton, posted on Twitter last night following the shooting.

Reverend Clementa Pinckney

The call to preach came early for Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who was one of the nine victims fatally shot in the attack. Pinckney, 41, is also a state senator in South Carolina. Read more about Pinckney here. http://www.buzzfeed.com/maryanngeorg...rly#.ojO6nxK1O


Cynthia Hurd



Cynthia Hurd, a librarian, was killed in the shooting, the Charleston County Public Library (CCPL), confirmed Thursday.

Hurd, 54, worked at the public library for 31 years and was serving as the manager at St. Andrews Regional Library since 2011.

“Cynthia was a tireless servant of the community who spent her life helping residents, making sure they had every opportunity for an education and personal growth,” the CCPL said in a statement.

Elliott Summey, the chair of the Charleston County Council, said that the St. Andrews Regional Library would be named as the Cynthia Hurd Regional Library from this day as a “fitting honor” for someone who had spent 31 years there. “It’s the very least we can do for someone who was a true public servant,” he said at a press conference on Thursday.

The CCPL closed all 16 of its locations to honor Hurd and all the victims of the shooting.

“Her loss is incomprehensible,” the CCPL said.

Friends and co-workers described her as a “wonderful” and “lovely” person in comments on CCPL’s Facebook page.

Lee Ann Carter, who once volunteered at the library, wrote that Hurd “quickly became a friend and I am devastated to hear of her death.”

Graham, a former state senator, told the Charlotte Observer that his sister would have turned 55 on Sunday.

He said it was “typical” of her to be at the church on Sunday. He also fondly described her as a “nerd” who got a masters in library science from the University of South Carolina.

Hurd lived with her husband Steve in the east side of Charleston, the Charlotte Observer reported.

Graham, who last saw his sister in May when she attended his daughter’s graduation, said she always acted like his mother. “She was the one who brought us closer,” Graham told the Charlotte Observer. “It’s so senseless. She didn’t deserve it.”

The only public post seen on Hurd’s page is a message to her brother in 2012, telling him which photo of his she liked the best: “Bro, the first one is my favorite and yes this is a little late but there was no deadline on this question (smile). Give all my love and call me soon!”

Tywanza Sanders

The 26-year-old was a recent graduate of Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina, and had most recently been working at a barber shop.

“He was a quiet, well known student who was committed to his education,” Flavia Eldemire, vice president of Institutional Advancement at Allen University, said in a statement.

“He presented a warm and helpful spirit as he interacted with his colleagues.”

Sanders graduated from the university’s Division of Business Administration in 2014.

Tessa Spencer, a reporter and anchor for local ABCNews4, told BuzzFeed News that Sanders had worked at a barber shop with her brother and that she last saw him two days ago.

“I saw him two days ago and said, ‘See you later,’ and he said, ‘Bye, Miss Tessa,’” Spencer said.

According to Spencer, Sanders died while trying to save a family member. “They said he jumped in front of his aunt or grandmother,” Spencer said. That family member was also killed in the shooting, she said.

She described him as being very outgoing but quiet at the same time, and said that he had an interest in broadcasting.

Myra Thompson

Myra Thompson, 59, was the wife of reverend Anthony Thomspon, who is a vicar at Holy Trinity REC. The church confirmed her death in a tweet Thursday.


Ethel Lee Lance

A 70-year-old sexton, who had worked at the church for more than 30 years, was killed in the shooting, her family confirmed to media outlets.

“I’m lost, I’m lost,” her grandson Jon Quil Lance told the Post and Courier as he waited outside the trauma center of Medical University Hospital, where the victims were being treated. He said his granny was “the heart of the family.”

“She’s a Christian, hardworking; I could call my granny for anything. I don’t have anyone else like that,” he told the Post and Courier.


Daniel L. Simmons



Simmons, a ministerial staff member at the church, died in the shooting, his daughter, Arcelia Simmons confirmed to ABC News. She said that Simmons, 74, attended Bible study every Wednesday.

BuzzFeed News spoke to Simmons’ son, Daniel Simmons Jr., who said, “I’m doing very well with the grace and peace that god has planted.”

“I can’t believe that Rev. Dan Simmons is gone,” Sh’Kur Francis said on Twitter. “This man baptized me, married my parents, and eulogized my granny.”


Rev. Depayne Middleton-Doctor



Depayne Middleton-Doctor, 49, was also one of the victims of the shooting, coroner Rae Wooten confirmed at a press conference on Thursday. The minister was a mother of four daughters. She sang in the church’s choir and spoke at the pulpit with Rev. Pinckney, the Post and Courier reported. “My beautiful songbird. This is a hard one to swallow,” a family member, Laurie Middleton, wrote on Facebook.

Susie Jackson



Susie Jackson, 87, was also a victim of the attack, the coroner confirmed. She was a member of the Eastern Light Chapter No. 360 Order of the Eastern Star, according to a community activist on Twitter.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicasimeo...g6G#.sv57nAJn1

BREAKING: Dylann Roof, 21, has been arrested in Shelby, North Carolina, local authorities confirm. Details: http://bit.ly/1QFoHyw #CharlestonShooting

Here’s What the Mainstream Media WON’T Tell You About Mass Shootings
Written by Michele Hickford, Editor-in-Chief, June 18, 2015

According to a 2013 Pew Research study, 37 percent of households had an adult who owned a gun — 24 percent said they owned a gun, and 13 percent said someone else in their household did.

There are about 319 million people in the United States, so that means there are about 118 milion gun owners in this nation. Mother Jones reports there have been 69 mass shootings in the last 30 years. The Washington Post says, A Congressional Research Service report published in 2013 counted 78 incidents over roughly the same period, in which 547 were killed.






That means, out of 118 million gun owners, 78 or .00007 percent of the gun owning population are potential mass murderers (using a 30-year total).

Since Mother Jones published its analysis, five people were killed in a shooting spree in Las Vegas that authorities said was driven by anti-government views. In February, a man named Joseph Jesse Aldridge killed seven people in Texas County, Mo., including several of his relatives, before taking his own life. His motivations remain unclear. So that makes 560 people killed

Now we can add Dylann Roof to the list. It is awful and tragic. He appears to be a sick human being who should never have been given a gun.

Of course, now the gun control activists are out in force. Any white person who legally owns a gun must be a racist White Supremecist nut bag.

It is a sad truth that there are likely more mentally ill individuals in our nation who will one day get their hands on guns, legally or illegally, and take the lives of some innocent souls.

But some perspective is needed.

Let’s take that figure for the number of people killed in the last 30 years during a mass shooting of 560 and add another nine to it. That makes 569.

Now compare that number to 10,076. According to MADD, that’s the number of people killed during drunk driving crashes in 2013 alone. In fact, every day in America, another 28 people die in drunk driving crashes. Every. Single Day.

Using the liberal logic of banning guns because of tragic (and thankfully, comparatively rare) mass shootings undertaken by crazy white folks (and some not so white), should we not then ban cars?

Cars clearly cause many more fatalities in terms of numbers each day than whack nuts with a gun.

Heck, we should ban bathtubs too. Because 341 people die from drowning and submersion while in or falling into bath-tub. And floors. We need to ban floors too, because 565 people die each year from slipping, tripping or falling.

I don’t mean to be flippant, or to trivialize this terrible tragedy. But as the stories fly around in the next few days regarding this event, you can be darn tootin’ liberals will begin pushing their agendas.

It’s useful to have some facts at your fingertips to provide some perspective – because you’ll never get that from the mainstream media.

http://allenbwest.com/2015/06/heres-...ass-shootings/

http://www.redflagnews.com/headlines...ot-telling-you

9 Dead in Charleston Church Shooting Called 'Hate Crime'

James Klatell/CBS/AP/May 21, 2006, 1:53 PM
5 Dead In Louisiana Church Shooting

A man opened fire Sunday morning at a church hitting five people, four of them fatally before abducting his wife, whom he later shot to death at another location, authorities said.

Church members wept as they watched investigators examine evidence and search for clues.

The suspect, Anthony Bell, 25, of Baton Rouge, was captured at an apartment complex near the church. Three children abducted with the woman were all found safe.

"This is going to be one of the worst days in the history of our city," Police Chief Jeff Leduff said after Bell was captured and his wife's body was found at the apartment complex. Her name and those of the other victims were not immediately released.

Bell is accused of shooting five people at the church before fleeing, Sgt. Charles Armstrong said.

CBS affiliate WAFB reports that one of the shooting victims died after being transported to the hospital and the surviving victim is listed in critical condition. Police say two of those killed are females and one man, all older in age.

It was unclear whether Erica Bell, 24, was killed at the complex, police said. Her three children, including an infant, also taken from The Ministry of Jesus Christ church were found safe, officials said.

Erica Bell's mother, church pastor Claudia Brown, was wounded and was in serious condition at a hospital, police said, but would not provide further details.

Jeffrey Howard said his mother had been shot in the back of the head.

Anthony Bell faces charges of murder, attempted murder and kidnapping.

Investigators did not know the motive for the shooting at The Ministry of Jesus Christ church.

"This is senseless. This is a total waste of human life," Leduff said.

The small church shares space in an old warehouse with a guitar shop in a nonresidential area of Baton Rouge. Bell is believed to have entered and opened fire shortly before services were to end around 10 a.m.

After shooting five people, Bell fled with his wife and with three children, including an infant, police said. The two older children were found safely at a residence.

Hours later, police responding to a 911 call about a shooting cordoned off the apartment complex. Officers found the woman dead and Bell holding the baby, Leduff said. Bell was arrested without incident.

At first police said the three children belonged to the couple. They later said it was unclear whether Bell was the father of all three.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/5-dead-i...urch-shooting/

The Charleston shooter Dylann Storm Roof’s manifesto has been discovered on a website called The Last Rhodesian. The website is registered to Dylann Roof of Eastover, SC.

Here is the full text, unedited:

I was not raised in a racist home or environment. Living in the South, almost every White person has a small amount of racial awareness, simply beause of the numbers of negroes in this part of the country. But it is a superficial awareness. Growing up, in school, the White and black kids would make racial jokes toward each other, but all they were were jokes. Me and White friends would sometimes would watch things that would make us think that “blacks were the real racists” and other elementary thoughts like this, but there was no real understanding behind it.

The event that truly awakened me was the Trayvon Martin case. I kept hearing and seeing his name, and eventually I decided to look him up. I read the Wikipedia article and right away I was unable to understand what the big deal was. It was obvious that Zimmerman was in the right. But more importantly this prompted me to type in the words “black on White crime” into Google, and I have never been the same since that day. The first website I came to was the Council of Conservative Citizens. There were pages upon pages of these brutal black on White murders. I was in disbelief. At this moment I realized that something was very wrong. How could the news be blowing up the Trayvon Martin case while hundreds of these black on White murders got ignored?

From this point I researched deeper and found out what was happening in Europe. I saw that the same things were happening in England and France, and in all the other Western European countries. Again I found myself in disbelief. As an American we are taught to accept living in the melting pot, and black and other minorities have just as much right to be here as we do, since we are all immigrants. But Europe is the homeland of White people, and in many ways the situation is even worse there. From here I found out about the Jewish problem and other issues facing our race, and I can say today that I am completely racially aware.

Blacks

I think it is is fitting to start off with the group I have the most real life experience with, and the group that is the biggest problem for Americans.

Ni****s are stupid and violent. At the same time they have the capacity to be very slick. Black people view everything through a racial lense. Thats what racial awareness is, its viewing everything that happens through a racial lense. They are always thinking about the fact that they are black. This is part of the reason they get offended so easily, and think that some thing are intended to be racist towards them, even when a White person wouldnt be thinking about race.

The other reason is the Jewish agitation of the black race.

Black people are racially aware almost from birth, but White people on average dont think about race in their daily lives. And this is our problem. We need to and have to.

Say you were to witness a dog being beat by a man. You are almost surely going to feel very sorry for that dog. But then say you were to witness a dog biting a man. You will most likely not feel the same pity you felt for the dog for the man. Why? Because dogs are lower than men.

This same analogy applies to black and White relations. Even today, blacks are subconsciously viewed by White people are lower beings. They are held to a lower standard in general. This is why they are able to get away with things like obnoxious behavior in public. Because it is expected of them.

Modern history classes instill a subconscious White superiority complex in Whites and an inferiority complex in blacks.

This White superiority complex that comes from learning of how we dominated other peoples is also part of the problem I have just mentioned. But of course I dont deny that we are in fact superior.

I wish with a passion that ni****s were treated terribly throughout history by Whites, that every White person had an ancestor who owned slaves, that segregation was an evil an oppressive institution, and so on. Because if it was all it true, it would make it so much easier for me to accept our current situation. But it isnt true. None of it is. We are told to accept what is happening to us because of ancestors wrong doing, but it is all based on historical lies, exaggerations and myths. I have tried endlessly to think of reasons we deserve this, and I have only came back more irritated because there are no reasons.

Only a fourth to a third of people in the South owned even one slave. Yet every White person is treated as if they had a slave owning ancestor. This applies to in the states where slavery never existed, as well as people whose families immigrated after slavery was abolished. I have read hundreds of slaves narratives from my state. And almost all of them were positive. One sticks out in my mind where an old ex-slave recounted how the day his mistress died was one of the saddest days of his life. And in many of these narratives the slaves told of how their masters didnt even allowing whipping on his plantation.

Segregation was not a bad thing. It was a defensive measure. Segregation did not exist to hold back negroes. It existed to protect us from them. And I mean that in multiple ways. Not only did it protect us from having to interact with them, and from being physically harmed by them, but it protected us from being brought down to their level. Integration has done nothing but bring Whites down to level of brute animals. The best example of this is obviously our school system.

Now White parents are forced to move to the suburbs to send their children to “good schools”. But what constitutes a “good school”? The fact is that how good a school is considered directly corresponds to how White it is. I hate with a passion the whole idea of the suburbs. To me it represents nothing but scared White people running. Running because they are too weak, scared, and brainwashed to fight. Why should we have to flee the cities we created for the security of the suburbs? Why are the suburbs secure in the first place? Because they are White. The pathetic part is that these White people dont even admit to themselves why they are moving. They tell themselves it is for better schools or simply to live in a nicer neighborhood. But it is honestly just a way to escape n*****s and other minorities.

But what about the White people that are left behind? What about the White children who, because of school zoning laws, are forced to go to a school that is 90 percent black? Do we really think that that White kid will be able to go one day without being picked on for being White, or called a “white boy”? And who is fighting for him? Who is fighting for these White people forced by economic circumstances to live among negroes? No one, but someone has to.

Here I would also like to touch on the idea of a Norhtwest Front. I think this idea is beyond stupid. Why should I for example, give up the beauty and history of my state to go to the Norhthwest? To me the whole idea just parralells the concept of White people running to the suburbs. The whole idea is pathetic and just another way to run from the problem without facing it.

Some people feel as though the South is beyond saving, that we have too many blacks here. To this I say look at history. The South had a higher ratio of blacks when we were holding them as slaves. Look at South Africa, and how such a small minority held the black in apartheid for years and years. Speaking of South Africa, if anyone thinks that think will eventually just change for the better, consider how in South Africa they have affirmative action for the black population that makes up 80 percent of the population.

It is far from being too late for America or Europe. I believe that even if we made up only 30 percent of the population we could take it back completely. But by no means should we wait any longer to take drastic action.

Anyone who thinks that White and black people look as different as we do on the outside, but are somehow magically the same on the inside, is delusional. How could our faces, skin, hair, and body structure all be different, but our brains be exactly the same? This is the nonsense we are led to believe.
Negroes have lower Iqs, lower impulse control, and higher testosterone levels in generals. These three things alone are a recipe for violent behavior. If a scientist publishes a paper on the differences between the races in Western Europe or Americans, he can expect to lose his job. There are personality traits within human families, and within different breeds of cats or dogs, so why not within the races?

A horse and a donkey can breed and make a mule, but they are still two completely different animals. Just because we can breed with the other races doesnt make us the same.

In a modern history class it is always emphasized that, when talking about “bad” things Whites have done in history, they were White. But when we lern about the numerous, almost countless wonderful things Whites have done, it is never pointed out that these people were White. Yet when we learn about anything important done by a black person in history, it is always pointed out repeatedly that they were black. For example when we learn about how George Washington carver was the first ni***r smart enough to open a peanut.

On another subject I want to say this. Many White people feel as though they dont have a unique culture. The reason for this is that White culture is world culture. I dont mean that our culture is made up of other cultures, I mean that our culture has been adopted by everyone in the world. This makes us feel as though our culture isnt special or unique. Say for example that every business man in the world wore a kimono, that every skyscraper was in the shape of a pagoda, that every door was a sliding one, and that everyone ate every meal with chopsticks. This would probably make a Japanese man feel as though he had no unique traditional culture.

I have noticed a great disdain for race mixing White women within the White nationalists community, bordering on insanity it. These women are victims, and they can be saved. Stop.


Jews


Unlike many White naitonalists, I am of the opinion that the majority of American and European jews are White. In my opinion the issues with jews is not their blood, but their identity. I think that if we could somehow destroy the jewish identity, then they wouldnt cause much of a problem. The problem is that Jews look White, and in many cases are White, yet they see themselves as minorities. Just like ni****s, most jews are always thinking about the fact that they are jewish. The other issue is that they network. If we could somehow turn every jew blue for 24 hours, I think there would be a mass awakening, because people would be able to see plainly what is going on.

I dont pretend to understand why jews do what they do. They are enigma.

Hispanics


Hispanics are obviously a huge problem for Americans. But there are good hispanics and bad hispanics. I remember while watching hispanic television stations, the shows and even the commercials were more White than our own. They have respect for White beauty, and a good portion of hispanics are White. It is a well known fact that White hispanics make up the elite of most hispanics countries. There is good White blood worht saving in Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and even Brasil.

But they are still our enemies.

East Asians


I have great respent for the East Asian races. Even if we were to go extinct they could carry something on. They are by nature very racist and could be great allies of the White race. I am not opposed at all to allies with the Northeast Asian races.

Patriotism


I hate the sight of the American flag. Modern American patriotism is an absolute joke. People pretending like they have something to be proud while White people are being murdered daily in the streets. Many veterans believe we owe them something for “protecting our way of life” or “protecting our freedom”. But im not sure what way of life they are talking about. How about we protect the White race and stop fighting for the jews. I will say this though, I myself would have rather lived in 1940’s American than Nazi Germany, and no this is not ignorance speaking, it is just my opinion. So I dont blame the veterans of any wars up until after Vietnam, because at least they had an American to be proud of and fight for.

An Explanation


To take a saying from a film, “I see all this stuff going on, and I dont see anyone doing anything about it. And it pisses me off.”. To take a saying from my favorite film, “Even if my life is worth less than a speck of dirt, I want to use it for the good of society.”.

I have no choice. I am not in the position to, alone, go into the ghetto and fight. I chose Charleston because it is most historic city in my state, and at one time had the highest ratio of blacks to Whites in the country. We have no skinheads, no real KKK, no one doing anything but talking on the internet. Well someone has to have the bravery to take it to the real world, and I guess that has to be me.

Unfortunately at the time of writing I am in a great hurry and some of my best thoughts, actually many of them have been to be left out and lost forever. But I believe enough great White minds are out there already.

The mass shooting left nine dead. Roof has been captured by police authorities and awaits trial.

http://www.ijreview.com/2015/06/3490...mpaign=Sharing

http://www.inquisitr.com/2187532/oba...ut-it-opinion/