Charleston Church Shooting
On June 17, 2015, Dylan Roof a 21-year-old white supremacist massacred nine people at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The assailant wished to trigger a new race war.
At 9:05 PM Dylan Roof a 21-year-old self-defined white nationalist pulled a gun in the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The church which was founded in 1816 was one of the oldest African American churches in the country. Roof had been participating in a bible study group meeting. After sitting in the study session for an hour, he pulled a gun from his backpack. The gun a Glock 41 45 caliber handgun with hollow point ammunition. As he prepared to fire one of the people in the room tried to convince him not to shoot, he answered "I have to do it. You rape our women, and you're taking over our country. And you have to go.”
After reloading five times, Roof left the church. He was caught the next morning 245 miles from the shooting scene. Roof was tried and found guilty. On January 10, 2017 Roof was sentenced to death.
The church shooting spurred the removal of many confederate symbols in parts of the South.