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| Charleston church shooting: Suspected gunman arrested | Charleston church shooting: Suspected gunman arrested |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A 21-year-old man suspected of killing nine people at a historic African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina, has been arrested. | A 21-year-old man suspected of killing nine people at a historic African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina, has been arrested. |
| Police said Dylann Roof, of Lexington, South Carolina, was detained during a traffic stop in Shelby, North Carolina. | Police said Dylann Roof, of Lexington, South Carolina, was detained during a traffic stop in Shelby, North Carolina. |
| The gunman is reported to have sat in on a bible study meeting for a full hour before opening fire on the group. | The gunman is reported to have sat in on a bible study meeting for a full hour before opening fire on the group. |
| Six women and three men, including the church pastor, were killed. A hate crimes investigation has been launched. | Six women and three men, including the church pastor, were killed. A hate crimes investigation has been launched. |
| Follow the BBC's latest updates | Follow the BBC's latest updates |
| US President Barack Obama said he and his wife had known several members of the Emanuel AME Church, including the pastor, Clementa Pinckney. | US President Barack Obama said he and his wife had known several members of the Emanuel AME Church, including the pastor, Clementa Pinckney. |
| He called the church a "sacred place" in the history of Charleston and spoke of his confidence that the congregation and the community would "rise again". | He called the church a "sacred place" in the history of Charleston and spoke of his confidence that the congregation and the community would "rise again". |
| He also raised the issue of gun ownership, saying "communities like this have had to endure tragedies like this too many times". | He also raised the issue of gun ownership, saying "communities like this have had to endure tragedies like this too many times". |
| "At some point," he said, "we as a country have to reckon with the fact that this type of massacre does not happen in other advanced countries". | "At some point," he said, "we as a country have to reckon with the fact that this type of massacre does not happen in other advanced countries". |
| Along with Reverend Pinckney, a 41-year-old father of two, the other victims have been named as Cynthia Hurd, 54; Tywanza Sanders, 26; Sharonda Singleton, 45; Myra Thompson, 59; Ethel Lance, 70; Susie Jackson, 87; the Rev Daniel Simmons Sr, 74; and DePayne Doctor. | Along with Reverend Pinckney, a 41-year-old father of two, the other victims have been named as Cynthia Hurd, 54; Tywanza Sanders, 26; Sharonda Singleton, 45; Myra Thompson, 59; Ethel Lance, 70; Susie Jackson, 87; the Rev Daniel Simmons Sr, 74; and DePayne Doctor. |
| At the scene: The BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan | At the scene: The BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan |
| "There's not a more solid foundation for the black community in this country, than the black church." | "There's not a more solid foundation for the black community in this country, than the black church." |
| The words of one speaker at a vigil for the victims, which was held at the Morris Brown AME church, a short drive from where the attack happened. | The words of one speaker at a vigil for the victims, which was held at the Morris Brown AME church, a short drive from where the attack happened. |
| Every seat and every available corner of this two-storey place of worship was filled with people from every race, age and background. | Every seat and every available corner of this two-storey place of worship was filled with people from every race, age and background. |
| The mood wasn't just sombre, it was also defiant. | The mood wasn't just sombre, it was also defiant. |
| "We will come out of this stronger," said South Carolina's Governor, Nikki Haley. "We will be better for it." | "We will come out of this stronger," said South Carolina's Governor, Nikki Haley. "We will be better for it." |
| The weekly bible study meeting was under way in the church on Calhoun Street when the shooting unfolded at about 21:00 local time (01:00 GMT Thursday). | The weekly bible study meeting was under way in the church on Calhoun Street when the shooting unfolded at about 21:00 local time (01:00 GMT Thursday). |
| Charleston police chief Gregory Mullen said that when police arrived at the scene eight people were already dead in the church and one other person died later in hospital. There were three survivors, he added. | Charleston police chief Gregory Mullen said that when police arrived at the scene eight people were already dead in the church and one other person died later in hospital. There were three survivors, he added. |
| Police released images from surveillance cameras showing a suspect they described as white and clean shaven with a slender build, entering the building an hour before the shooting. | Police released images from surveillance cameras showing a suspect they described as white and clean shaven with a slender build, entering the building an hour before the shooting. |
| He was later seen driving away in a black four-door saloon car. | He was later seen driving away in a black four-door saloon car. |
| What do the flags on Dylann Roof's jacket symbolise? | |
| An image found on Dylann Roof's Facebook page shows the Charleston shooting suspect posing for the camera in a black jacket with two flags stitched to it. | |
| The flags are both old - one belonged to apartheid-era South Africa and the other to the state of Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. | |
| Rhodesia collapsed in 1979 when its government was overthrown by an armed uprising and South Africa rejected apartheid in 1994 - the year Roof was born. | |
| But during the time they flew the flags worn by Roof, both nations were segregated and ruled by white minorities. | |
| White supremacist organisations have celebrated both nations, claiming them to be examples of the benefits of white rule. | |
| The flags can be a subtle way for a white supremacist to reveal support for their cause, Mark Pitcavage, a director at the US Anti-Defamation League, told the New York Daily News. | |
| "If they openly display hate, they get shunned, so what a lot of white supremacists do is a controlled degree of display," he said. | |
| Police and officials were quick to call it a hate crime, and the US Department of Justice said it would open a federal hate crimes investigation. | Police and officials were quick to call it a hate crime, and the US Department of Justice said it would open a federal hate crimes investigation. |
| Speaking after the arrest, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said they would be "looking at all of the facts, all of the motivations" to determine the best way to prosecute any case. | Speaking after the arrest, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said they would be "looking at all of the facts, all of the motivations" to determine the best way to prosecute any case. |
| Charleston has a reputation for being a friendly Southern city, but it also has a history associated with the slave trade and the civil rights movement, says the BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan. | Charleston has a reputation for being a friendly Southern city, but it also has a history associated with the slave trade and the civil rights movement, says the BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan. |
| The Emanuel church is firmly part of that history, being the oldest African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church in the US south. Civil rights leader Martin Luther King gave a speech at the church in April 1962. | |
| Some local residents have told our correspondent that although this shooting appears to be an isolated incident carried out by one man, there are deeper racial tensions in this city. | |
| Many black people live here, but few hold positions of power, she notes. | |
| Tensions have been heightened since the shooting two months ago of Walter Scott, an unarmed black man by a white police officer in North Charleston, which prompted angry protests. The officer has since been charged with murder. | Tensions have been heightened since the shooting two months ago of Walter Scott, an unarmed black man by a white police officer in North Charleston, which prompted angry protests. The officer has since been charged with murder. |
| Clementa Pinckney, the 42-year-old pastor of the church, was also a Democratic state senator in South Carolina. | Clementa Pinckney, the 42-year-old pastor of the church, was also a Democratic state senator in South Carolina. |
| He had recently sponsored a bill to make body cameras mandatory for all police officers in South Carolina in response to the death of Walter Scott. | He had recently sponsored a bill to make body cameras mandatory for all police officers in South Carolina in response to the death of Walter Scott. |
| Are you in the area? Did you witness the incident? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experience. | Are you in the area? Did you witness the incident? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experience. |
| If you are willing to speak further to a BBC journalist, please include a contact telephone number. | If you are willing to speak further to a BBC journalist, please include a contact telephone number. |
| Email your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, upload them here, tweet them to @BBC_HaveYourSay or text 61124. If you are outside the UK, send them to the international number +44 7624 800 100. | Email your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, upload them here, tweet them to @BBC_HaveYourSay or text 61124. If you are outside the UK, send them to the international number +44 7624 800 100. |
| Or WhatsApp us on +44 7525 900971 | Or WhatsApp us on +44 7525 900971 |