Charleston Shooting: 5 Things to Know
Police arrested the alleged gunman Thursday.
— -- Your look at the five biggest stories related to the deadly church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina.
1. What the Gunman Allegedly Told Churchgoers Before the Shooting
A relative of one of the nine people killed at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, said a survivor of the massacre told her the shooter entered the church asking to see the Rev. Clementa Pinckney.
“They showed him where he was and Clementa, being the kind-spirited person that he is, he had him [the shooter, identified as suspect Dylann Roof] sit next to him,” Sylvia Johnson, a cousin of the church’s slain pastor, told ABC News Thursday after speaking with one of the survivors who was in the church.
2. Dylann Roof's Uncle Would 'Push Button' Himself If Nephew Receives Death Penalty
Carson Cowles, Roof's uncle, says he will "push the button myself" if his nephew receives the death penalty, which is legal in South Carolina.
"I'll be the one to push the button. If he's found guilty, I'll be the one to push the button myself," Cowles said. "If what I am hearing is true, he needs to pay for it."
3. Shooting Victims Remembered
The nine people who died in the shooting included Pinckney, a state senator who pastored the Charleston church, as well as another member of the ministerial staff.
4. Citizen's Tip Aided in Arrest
A citizen in Shelby, North Carolina saw the suspect’s car and reported it to police, who responded and made the arrest, police said. Roof cooperated with the officer who stopped him, according to police.
"I am so pleased we were able to resolve this case quickly," Charleston Police Chief Gregory Mullen said at a news conference.
5. ‘Too Many Times’ Obama Has Responded to a Mass Shooting
“I’ve had to make statements like this too many times,” President Obama said Thursday in a statement mourning the nine victims.
According to an unofficial White House record-keeper, CBS’s Mark Knoller, the president’s statement at the White House on Thursday marked at least the 14th time Obama has had to respond to a mass shooting during his presidency.