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Dylann Roof

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Arzel (talk | contribs) at 17:54, 25 June 2015 (Neither source described him as a right-wing terrorist. Label of terrorist is opinion. His crime is being called a hate-crime, but not TMK terrorism.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Dylann Roof
Mugshot of Roof taken by the Charleston County Sheriff's Office, June 18, 2015
Born
Dylann Storm Roof

(1994-04-03) April 3, 1994 (age 30)
Columbia, South Carolina, United States
OccupationNone
Known forSuspect in Charleston church shooting
Criminal charge(s)Nine counts of murder
Possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime
Criminal statusIn jail
Parent(s)Franklin Bennett (father)
Paige Mann (stepmother)

Dylann Storm Roof[1][2] (born April 3, 1994) is the suspected perpetrator of the Charleston church shooting as named by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).[3] in which nine African-American civilians were killed, including the senior pastor, Clementa C. Pinckney, a state senator. A tenth victim was also shot, but survived.

He has been charged with nine counts of murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Early life

Dylann Roof was born in Columbia, South Carolina. His father, Franklin Bennett, and stepmother, Paige Mann, were divorced after ten years of marriage, in which Bennett was allegedly verbally and physically abusive towards Mann.[4] Roof attended several schools in two counties, including White Knoll High School in Lexington, in which he repeated the ninth grade, finishing it in another school. He then apparently stopped attending classes, and according to his family, dropped out of school and spent his time alternating between playing video games and taking drugs, such as Suboxone.[4][5][6][7] He was on the rolls of a local Lutheran congregation.[8]

Prior to the attack, Roof was living alternately in Bennett's and Mann's homes.[9] Roof's uncle, Carson Cowles, said that he expressed concern about the introversion of his then-nineteen-year-old nephew, because "he still didn't have a job, a driver's license or anything like that and he just stayed in his room a lot of the time."[10] Cowles said he tried to mentor Roof, but was rejected and they drifted apart.[10]

A former high school classmate said that despite Roof's racist comments some of his friends were black.[6]

Earlier arrests

Roof had a prior police record consisting of two arrests, both made in the months preceding the attack.[11][12] On March 2, 2015, he was questioned about a February 28 incident at the Columbiana Centre in Columbia, in which he entered the mall wearing all-black clothing and asked employees unsettling questions. During the questioning, they found a bottle of what was later admitted to be Suboxone, a narcotic used either for treating opiate addictions and as a recreational drug, and Roof was arrested for drug possession. He was subsequently banned from the Columbiana Centre for a year, but after he was arrested again on April 26 for trespassing on the mall grounds, the ban was extended for three additional years.[6][13]

Charleston church shooting

Main article: Charleston church shooting

On the evening of June 17, 2015, a mass shooting took place at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, United States. During a routine bible study at the church, a white man about 21 years old, later identified as Roof, opened fire with a handgun, killing nine people.[14] Roof was unemployed[15] and living in largely African-American Eastover at the time of the attack.[16]

Suspected motivation

According to a childhood friend, Roof went on a rant about the shooting of Trayvon Martin and the 2015 Baltimore protests that were sparked by the death of Freddie Gray while Gray was in police custody.[13] He also often claimed that "blacks were taking over the world".[17] Roof reportedly told friends and neighbors of his plans to kill people, including a plot to attack the College of Charleston, but his claims were not taken seriously.[5][9]

One image from his Facebook page showed him wearing a jacket decorated with the flags of two nations used as emblems among American white supremacist movements, those of Rhodesia (today called Zimbabwe) and apartheid-era South Africa.[18][19][20] Another online photo showed Roof sitting on the hood of his parents' car with an ornamental license plate with a Confederate flag on it.[21] According to his roommate, Roof expressed his support of racial segregation in the United States and had intended to start a civil war.[22]

Website and manifesto

On June 20, a website that had been registered to a "Dylann Roof" on February 9, 2015, The Last Rhodesian (www.lastrhodesian.com),[23] was discovered.[24][25] Though the identity of the domain's owner was intentionally masked the day after it was registered,[24] law enforcement officials confirmed Roof as the owner.[26] The site included a cache of photos of Roof posing with a handgun and a Confederate Battle Flag, as well as with the widely-recognized Nazi code numbers 88 (an abbreviation for the salute "Heil Hitler!") and 1488, written in sand.[24][26] Roof was also seen spitting on and burning an American flag.[24] While some photographs seemed to show Roof at home in his room, others were taken on an apparent tour of South Carolina historical sites, including Sullivan's Island, the largest slave disembarkation port in North America, and at the Museum and Library of Confederate History in Greenville.[24][27]

The website also contained an unsigned 2,444-word racist manifesto in which Roof offered his views methodically broken into the sections: "Blacks", "Jews", "Hispanics", "East Asians", "Patriotism", "An Explanation":[27]

I have no choice. I am not in the position to, alone, go into the ghetto and fight. I chose Charleston because it is most historic city in my state, and at one time had the highest ratio of blacks to Whites in the country. We have no skinheads, no real KKK, no one doing anything but talking on the internet. Well someone has to have the bravery to take it to the real world, and I guess that has to be me.[24]

In that manifesto, Roof writes he was "truly awakened" by coverage of the shooting of Trayvon Martin, writing,

"I read the Wikipedia article and right away I was unable to understand what the big deal was. It was obvious that Zimmerman was in the right. But more importantly this prompted me to type in the words 'black on White crime' into Google, and I have never been the same since that day. The first website I came to was the Council of Conservative Citizens. There were pages upon pages of these brutal black on White murders. I was in disbelief. At this moment I realized that something was very wrong. How could the news be blowing up the Trayvon Martin case while hundreds of these black on White murders got ignored?"[24][26][28][29]

Although the Council of Conservative Citizens took down its website on June 20 in the immediate wake of negative publicity,[27] its president, Earl Holt, stated that the organization was "hardly responsible" for Roof's actions.[28]

According to web server logs, Roof's website was last modified at 4:44 p.m. on June 17, when Roof noted, "[A]t the time of writing I am in a great hurry."[24]

Planning

One of the friends who briefly hid Roof's gun away from him said, "I don't think the church was his primary target because he told us he was going for the school. But I think he couldn't get into the school because of the security … so I think he just settled for the church."[30][31]

An African-American friend of his said that he never witnessed Roof expressing any racial prejudice, but also said that a week before the shooting, Roof had confided in him that he would commit a shooting at the college.[32]

Possible weapon used

Cowles said that Roof got a .45-caliber pistol from his father for his twenty-first birthday in April.[33][34] Other reporters said he purchased the gun himself, using money given to him on his birthday.[9] According to the FBI who conducted a trace on the firearm recovered from the suspect, it was determined that the suspect purchased a Glock 41 from a retail gun store in Charleston.[35] One week prior to the shooting, two of his friends tried to hide the gun after Roof claimed he was going to kill people, but returned it to him after the girlfriend of one of the friends, whose trailer they hid the gun in, pointed out he was on probation and needed to have the gun out of his possession.[9][30]

Manhunt and capture

The attack was treated as a hate crime by police, and officials from the FBI were called in to assist in the investigation and manhunt.[14][36]

At 10:44 a.m., on the morning after the attack, Roof was captured in a traffic stop in Shelby, North Carolina, approximately 245 miles (394 km) from the shooting scene. A .45-caliber pistol was found in the car during the arrest, though it was not immediately clear if it was the same one used in the attack.[37][38] Police received a tip-off from a civilian, Debbie Dills, from Gastonia, North Carolina. She recognized Roof driving his car, a black Hyundai Elantra with South Carolina license plates and a three-flag "Confederate States of America" bumper decoration,[39][40] on U.S. Route 74, recalling security camera images taken at the church and distributed to the media. She later recalled, "I got closer and saw that haircut. I was nervous. I had the worst feeling. Is that him or not him?" She called her employer, who contacted local police, and then tailed the suspect's car for 35 miles (56 km) until she was certain authorities were moving in for an arrest.[41]

His older half-sister also reported him to the police after seeing his photo on the news.[4][42]

Roof was arrested and was interrogated. An unidentified source said interrogations with Roof after his arrest determined he had been planning the attack for around six months, researched Emanuel AME Church, and targeted it because of its role in African-American history.[14]

Legal proceedings

Roof waived his extradition rights and was flown to Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center in North Charleston on the evening of June 18.[16][43][44][45] At the jail, his cell-block neighbor was Michael Slager, the former North Charleston officer charged with first-degree murder in the wake of his shooting of Walter Scott.[46][47] Roof confessed to committing the Charleston attack with the intention of starting a race war,[48] and reportedly told investigators he almost did not go through with his mission because members of the church study group had been so nice to him.[49]

On June 19, he was charged with nine counts of murder and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime.[45][50] He first appeared in Charleston County court by video conference at a bond hearing later that day. At the hearing, shooting survivors and relatives of five of the victims spoke to Roof directly, saying that they were "praying for his soul" and forgave him.[14][15][51][52]

The judge, Charleston County chief magistrate James "Skip" Gosnell, Jr., caused controversy at the bond hearing with his statement that, alongside the dead victims and their families, "there are victims on this young man's side of the family […] Nobody would have ever thrown them into the whirlwind of events that they are being thrown into."[53] In 2005, the South Carolina Supreme Court reprimanded Gosnell for using a racial slur while on the bench in 2003.[54] Gosnell set a $1 million bond for the weapons possession charge and no bail on the nine counts of murder.[55]

Roof is scheduled to reappear in court on October 23, 2015, at 2 p.m. and on February 5, 2016, at 9 a.m.,[52] before Circuit Court Judge J.C. Nicholson.[54]

Death penalty

Governor Nikki Haley has called for prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Roof.[56]

References

  1. ^ "State of South Carolina vs Dylann Storm Roof".
  2. ^ "Wanted by the FBI". www.fbi.gov. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  3. ^ Leger, Donna Leinwand (June 19, 2015). "Dylann Roof's father, uncle called police to ID him in church shooting". USA Today. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Otis, Ginger Adams (June 20, 2015). "Accused Charleston shooter Dylann Roof was raised in home destroyed by domestic violence: reports". The New York Daily News. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  5. ^ a b Mindock, Clark (June 18, 2015). "Charleston Shooting Racial Motivation? Dylann Storm Roof Told Black Neighbor He Planned On Killing". The International Business Times. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  6. ^ a b c "Dylann Roof: Racist jokes and black friends -- a man of contradictions". The Los Angeles Times. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  7. ^ "Charleston shooting: Dylann Roof named as suspect". BBC News. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  8. ^ ""South Carolina Lutheran Pastor: Dylann Roof Was Church Member, His Family Prays For Victims"". Huffington Post. June 19, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  9. ^ a b c d "Friend of Dylann Roof says suspect planned attack on College of Charleston". FOX News. June 20, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  10. ^ a b "South Carolina massacre suspect Dylann Roof had apparent interest in white supremacy". Sydney Morning Herald. June 19, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  11. ^ "Dylann Storm Roof arrested in North Carolina". KFOR. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  12. ^ Old, Jason (June 18, 2015). "Police: Dylann Roof arrested for trespassing, drug possession at Columbiana Centre". WISTV.com. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  13. ^ a b "Dylann Roof, Suspected Charleston Church Shooting Gunman Has Troubled Past". NBC News. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  14. ^ a b c d Alcindor, Yamiche; Stanglin, Doug (June 19, 2015). "Affidavits spell out chilling case against Dylann Roof". USA Today. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  15. ^ a b Stableford, Dylan (June 19, 2015). "Families of Charleston shooting victims to Dylann Roof: We forgive you". Yahoo! News. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  16. ^ a b "Church shooting suspect Dylann Roof captured amid hate crime investigation". The Washington Post. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  17. ^ Silverstein, Jason (June 19, 2015). "Dylann Roof was obsessed with Trayvon Martin, wanted to save the 'white race': friend". The New York Daily News. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  18. ^ "Charleston Church Shooting Suspect, Dylann Storm Roof, Is Captured". New York Times. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  19. ^ "On Facebook, Dylann Roof, Charleston Suspect, Wears Symbols of White Supremacy". New York Times. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  20. ^ "Everything Known About Charleston Church Shooting Suspect Dylann Roff". The Daily Beast. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  21. ^ Blidner, Rachelle; Wagner, Meg (June 18, 2015). "Dylann Storm Roof bragged about plans to 'kill a bunch of people' week before Charleston church shooting". The New York Daily News. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  22. ^ "Charleston Shooting: A Closer Look at Alleged Gunman Dylann Roof". Yahoo! News. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  23. ^ "Home — My website". June 20, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h Robles, Francis (June 20, 2015). "Dylann Storm Roof Photos Found on Website". The New York Times. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  25. ^ O'Connor, Brendan (June 20, 2015). "Here Is What Appears to Be Dylann Roof's Racist Manifesto". Gawker. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  26. ^ a b c Bernstein, Lenny; Horwitz, Sari (June 20, 2015). "Charleston shooting suspect left racist manifesto on Web site, authorities say". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  27. ^ a b c Lewis, Paul; Holpuch, Amanda; Glenza, Jessica (June 21, 2015). "Dylann Roof: FBI probes manifesto and website linked to Charleston suspect". The Guardian. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  28. ^ a b Alexander, Harriet (June 22, 2015). "Republican candidates accepted donations from man whose organisation inspired Dylann Roof". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  29. ^ Yglesias, Matthew (June 20, 2015). "Charleston Shooter Dylann Roof's apparent manifesto surfaces". Vox.com. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  30. ^ a b Weiss, Mitch; Biesecker, Michael (June 20, 2015). "Man accused of church killings spoke of attacking college". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  31. ^ Krol, Charlotte (June 20, 2015). "Dylann Roof's friend: Charleston church 'wasn't primary target'". The Telegraph. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  32. ^ "Dylann Roof's friend: 'He never said anything racist'". BBC News. June 20, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  33. ^ Flitter, Emily (June 18, 2015). "South Carolina church shooting suspect got gun for birthday, uncle says". Reuters. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  34. ^ Flitter, Emily; Allen, Jonathan (June 19, 2015). "South Carolina massacre suspect Dylann Roof had apparent interest in white supremacy". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  35. ^ "Charleston church shooting: Who is Dylann Roof?". CNN. June 19, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  36. ^ "Everything We Know About the Charleston Shooting". TIME. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  37. ^ "Charleston church shooting suspect Dylann Roof in custody in NC". WIS. WorldNow and WISTV. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  38. ^ "Shooting suspect in custody after Charleston church massacre". CNN. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  39. ^ Safi, Michael (June 18, 2015). "Charleston shooting: florist Debbie Dills hailed a hero after tailing suspect's car". The Guardian. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  40. ^ Cush, Andy (June 18, 2015). "Dylann Roof's car, like S.C. Statehouse, flies a Confederate Flag". Gawker. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  41. ^ "Tip from Kings Mountain florists led to Charleston shooting suspect's arrest". Shelby Star. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  42. ^ Jeremy Borden (June 18, 2015). "For accused killer Dylann Roof, a life that had quietly drifted off track". Washington Post. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  43. ^ Horowitz, Jason; Corasaniti, Nick; Pérez-Peña, Richard (June 18, 2015). "Church Shooting Suspect Dylann Roof Is Brought Back to Charleston". The New York Times. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  44. ^ "Charleston shooting suspect Dylann Roof due in court in Charleston Friday". WHNS Greenville. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  45. ^ a b Margolin, Josh; Shapiro, Emily (June 19, 2015). "Dylann Roof Confessed to Killing 9 People at AME Church, Source Says". ABC News. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  46. ^ Sickles, Jason (June 19, 2015). "Dylann Roof and Michael Slager are cellblock neighbors in Charleston County jail". Yahoo! News. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  47. ^ Martinez, Michael (April 8, 2015). "South Carolina cop shoots unarmed man: A timeline". CNN. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  48. ^ Payne, Ed; Botelho, Greg (June 19, 2015). "Charleston church shooting: Suspect confesses, says he sought race war". CNN. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  49. ^ Borden, Jeremy; Horwitz, Sari; Markon, Jerry (June 19, 2015). "Officials: Suspect in church slayings unrepentant amid outcry over racial hatred". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  50. ^ Dearden, Lizzie; Guion, Payton (June 19, 2015). "Charleston shooting: Suspect Dylann Roof in custody as US mourns massacre — live updates". The Independent. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  51. ^ Arkin, Daniel (June 19, 2015). "Dylann Roof 'Almost Didn't Go Through' With Charleston Church Shooting". NBC News. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  52. ^ a b Berman, Mark (June 19, 2015). "'I forgive you.' Relatives of Charleston church shooting victims address Dylann Roof". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  53. ^ Paddock, Barry; Shapiro, Rich (June 19, 2015). "S.C. judge urges support for accused murderer Dylann Roof's family in bizarre court speech". The New York Daily News. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  54. ^ a b Chuck, Elizabeth (June 20, 2015). "Judge Who Presided Over Dylann Roof Bond Hearing Was Reprimanded for Racial Slur". NBC News. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  55. ^ Scott Neuman, $1 Million Bond For Charleston Church Shooting Suspect, NPR (June 19, 2015).
  56. ^ "S.C. governor calls for death penalty in church shooting". The Boston Globe. June 19, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.

External links

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference dailybeast was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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