Dylann Roof potentially facing federal crime charges

07.24.15

 

It’s been just over a month since the deadly shooting at Charleston’s AME Church, and accused shooter, Dylann Roof, will now have a Federal Hearing.

According to counton2.com, “the suspected South Carolina church shooter, now facing dozens of new charges, including hate crimes and obstructing the practice of religion, is due in federal court next week.” During a weekly bible study, 21 year old Roof entered the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and opened fire. Nine people ultimately died, eight on the scene, and one later at a local hospital.

These new charges come as no surprise considering the early information available on Roof. According to counton2.com, “the prosecution, particularly on hate crimes, has been expected since the June 17 shootings…Roof is white and appeared in photos waving Confederate flags and burning or desecrating U.S. flags. Federal authorities have confirmed his use of a personal manuscript in which he decried integration and used racial slurs to refer to blacks.”

The Huffington Post also reported in June that multiple agencies, including the FBI and the Department of Justice, would be launching a hate crime investigation. According to The Huffington Post, Roof was quoted as saying, “I have to do it. You rape our women and you’re taking over our country, and you have to go” during the shooting.