Gunman kills 9 people in South Carolina church shooting
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E-mail Xinhua, June 18, 2015
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Police respond to a shooting at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina June 17, 2015. A gunman opened fire on Wednesday evening at the historic African-American church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, a US police official said. [Photo/China Daily] |
Nine people were killed Wednesday night at an African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina in what the authorities described as "a hate crime" by a white gunman.
"I do believe this was a hate crime," Police Chief Gregory Mullen said at a press conference, adding that eight people died on the scene at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and one person was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The suspect, described by the police as a 21-year-old slender and clean-shaven white man, was still at large, said Mullen.
According to Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, the shooting happened when people were taking part in a prayer meeting.
"The only reason someone could walk into a church and shoot people praying is out of hate," Riley said during a press conference.
Built in 1891, the church has one of the largest black congregations in the region, its website said.
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