Charleston Church Shooting: 9 Killed as White Gunman Open Fire at Black Church

The shooting happened at the Emmanuel AME church in downtown Charleston at around 9pm (local time) on Wednesday night, according to police. Officers at the scene did not immediately give details on any victims but pictures from the scene showed at least six ambulances and fire crews in the area and the coroner was reportedly at the scene. A police spokesman said they were looking for a slim white male suspect, aged around 21 and wearing a grey sweatshirt, blue jeans and Timberland boots. A police helicopter was assisting officers on the ground with the search for the shooter. Cameras at the scene filmed police taking a white man in a grey T-shirt into a nearby Marriott hotel - but it was not clear whether they were linking him to the shooting. Local media said the Emmanuel AME church has a predominantly black congregation and is one of the oldest in the country. Tearful relatives were seen gathering at the edge of the police cordon, where they were speaking to emergency services workers

2015-06-18T07:30:51+00:00
Duration: 04:27