Nine Killed in Shooting at Charleston Church

A white gunman opened fire Wednesday night at a historic black church in downtown Charleston, S.C., killling nine people before fleeing and setting off an overnight manhunt, the police said. At a news conference with Charleston’s mayor early Thursday, the
police chief, Greg Mullen, called the shooting a hate crime. “It is unfathomable that somebody in today’s society would walk into a church while they are having a prayer meeting and take their lives,” he said. The police said the gunman walked into the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church around 9 p.m. and began shooting. Eight people died at the scene, Chief Mullen said. Two people were taken to the Medical University of South Carolina, and one of them died on the way. “Obviously, this is the worst night of my career,’’ Chief Mullen said. “This is clearly a tragedy in the city of Charleston.’’ City officials did not release information about the victims. Hospital officials declined to comment. Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. said the city was offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the gunman, whom the police described as a clean-shaven white man about 21 years old who was wearing a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans and Timberland boots. Chief Mullen described him as “extremely dangerous.” ”To walk into a church and shoot someone, is out of pure hatred,” the mayor said as he walked away after the news conference. Law enforcement officers from the F.B.I.; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division; and other agencies were assisting. Chief Mullen said the police were tracking the suspect with police dogs.
Around 10:45 p.m., police officers escorted a man in handcuffs who appeared to match the suspect’s description. But officials said later that they were still searching for the gunman. As the investigation unfolded, police pushed back onlookers and reporters and photographers after receiving a bomg threat.