Charleston massacre left state, nation in mourning
Nine lives were lost and countless changed when a spray of bullets interrupted a Wednesday night Bible study and prayer meeting at historic Emanuel AME Church in Charleston in the summer of 2015.
The Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, DePayne Middleton Doctor, Cynthia Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lance, Emanuel pastor the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, Tywanza Sanders, the Rev. Daniel Simmons and Myra Thompson died June 17 when had they gathered with others to worship in the basement of the historic Emanuel AME Church.
In what authorities deemed a violent act of racism, the accused gunman, 21-year-old Dylann Roof of the Columbia area, is said to have sat among his victims for an hour before opening fire on them.
Roof was captured the day after the shooting in Shelby, N.C., about an hour outside Charlotte.
One of the worst mass killings in South Carolina history, the Charleston massacre left the state and the nation in mourning and sparked renewed cries for gun control.
It also prompted debate that led to the eventual removal last summer of the Confederate flag from the S.C. State House grounds.
About this series: The inaugural edition of The State newspaper was published Feb. 18, 1891. In anticipation of the 125th anniversary, the Palmetto section and this section at thestate.com are recounting each day how The State covered newsmakers and events vital to South Carolina’s history.
This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 8:59 AM with the headline "Charleston massacre left state, nation in mourning."