9 People Killed in Shooting at Charleston, SC Church (UPDATED)

By Josh FeldmanJun 17th, 2015, 10:40 pm
 

Charleston Police responded to reports of a shooting tonight at a church in the area. There have been reports of several fatalities, with as many as eight people dead. As of now, the police has only tweeted out this information:

According to The Post and Courier, the shooting occurred near the Mother Emanuel AME Church, the number of victims has not been unconfirmed, and police are still looking for the shooter. The FBI is also reportedly on scene.

One journalist tweeted out what little information people know already about the shooting:

And a local photojournalist tweeted out photos and video from the scene:

Update- 10:56 pm EST: The police now have someone in custody, though it’s not confirmed this is the same person who opened fire inside the church:

Update- 11:29 pm EST: An official close to the investigation told CNN there have been multiple fatalities, while the Charleston police has not yet confirmed the deaths. And the individual above in handcuffs is not the suspect, as the Charleston PD is still tweeting they’re searching for the shooter:

Update- 12:55 am EST: Nine people are now reported dead, one of them identified as South Carolina state senator Reverend Clementa Pinckney.

Governor Nikki Haley issued a brief statement:

Michael, Rena, Nalin and I are praying for the victims and families touched by tonight’s senseless tragedy at Emanuel AME Church. While we do not yet know all of the details, we do know that we’ll never understand what motivates anyone to enter one of our places of worship and take the life of another. Please join us in lifting up the victims and their families with our love and prayers.

Jeb Bush‘s campaign also sent his condolences in a statement, in which they also said they would be calling off Bush’s planned campaign stop in Charleston on Thursday.

There were also reports of a bomb threat in the area.

Update- 1:12 am EST: Police chief Greg Mullen said at a late night press conference that he does believe this was a hate crime, as the shooting occurred at a historically black church.

Update- 11:37 am EST: The suspect, Dylann Storm Roof, has been arrested in North Carolina.

[featured image via @jtighe08]

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Josh Feldman - Senior Editor

Josh Feldman is a Senior Editor at Mediaite. Email him here: josh@mediaite.com Follow him on Twitter: @feldmaniac