CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Authorities were searching Thursday for a white man who opened fire during a prayer meeting inside a historic black church in downtown Charleston, killing nine people, including the pastor, in an assault authorities described as a hate crime.
The shooter remained at large Thursday morning and police released photographs from surveillance video of a suspect and a dark colored sedan that may have been the getaway vehicle.
"This is a very dangerous individual," Police Chief Greg Mullen said.
The suspect attended the meeting at the church Wednesday night and stayed for nearly an hour before the deaths, Mullen said.
The victims were six females and three males, Mullen said Thursday morning. He did not give other details and said names would be released after families were notified.
But State House Minority leader Todd Rutherford told The Associated Press that the Emanuel AME Church's pastor, state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, was among those killed.
Pinckney, 41, was a married father of two who was elected to the state House at age 23, making him the youngest member of the House at the time.
"He never had anything bad to say about anybody, even when I thought he should," Rutherford, D-Columbia, said. "He was always out doing work either for his parishioners or his constituents. He touched everybody."
The suspect was described as a white man in his early 20s.
Mullen said he believed the attack was a hate crime and a Justice Department spokesman said federal officials were opening a hate crime investigation. The spokesman spoke on condition of anonymity. The official was not authorized to be quoted by name because the federal investigation had not been announced.
Mullen said he had no reason to think the suspect has left the Charleston area, but was distributing information about him and the vehicle around the country.
Pastor, 8 others fatally shot at church in Charleston, SC