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Governor of South Carolina calls for death penalty for Dylann Roof Governor of South Carolina calls for death penalty for Dylann Roof
(35 minutes later)
The governor of South Carolina called for the death penalty on Friday, for the 21-year-old man accused of shooting and killing nine black churchgoers on Wednesday in Charleston.The governor of South Carolina called for the death penalty on Friday, for the 21-year-old man accused of shooting and killing nine black churchgoers on Wednesday in Charleston.
“We will absolutely want him to have the death penalty,” Nikki Haley said of Dylann Roof, who has been charged with nine counts of murder and possessing a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. He was due to appear for a bond hearing in Charleston on Friday afternoon, probably by video link from the county jail where he is being held.“We will absolutely want him to have the death penalty,” Nikki Haley said of Dylann Roof, who has been charged with nine counts of murder and possessing a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. He was due to appear for a bond hearing in Charleston on Friday afternoon, probably by video link from the county jail where he is being held.
No one answered the door on Friday at the home in Eastover, North Carolina, where Roof lived as recently as March. Lush plants, a stately American flag and a private property warning sign stood outside the property, which stands about 100 miles away from the site of the mass killing at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. No one answered the door on Friday at the home in Eastover, North Carolina, where Roof lived as recently as March. Lush plants, a stately American flag and a private property warning sign stood outside the property, which stands about 100 miles away from the site of the mass killing at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church.
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“He just seemed real quiet and kept to himself,” said Kim Fleming, manager of Mr Bunkys, the general store across the street on Garner’s Ferry Road, a two-lane highway that is a popular route to South Carolina’s coast. Fleming said she had met Roof several times. “I just couldn’t believe it was someone walking around here,” she said of the shooting. “This is not the norm.”“He just seemed real quiet and kept to himself,” said Kim Fleming, manager of Mr Bunkys, the general store across the street on Garner’s Ferry Road, a two-lane highway that is a popular route to South Carolina’s coast. Fleming said she had met Roof several times. “I just couldn’t believe it was someone walking around here,” she said of the shooting. “This is not the norm.”
Yet according to a roommate, Roof had been “planning something like that for six months”. Other friends recalled racist tirades against African-Americans “taking over the world” and Roof’s desire to ignite “a civil war”. Yet according to a roommate, Roof had been “planning something like that for six months”. Other friends recalled racist tirades against African Americans “taking over the world” and Roof’s desire to ignite “a civil war”.
“He was big into segregation and other stuff,” Dalton Tyler told ABC News. “He said he wanted to start a civil war. He said he was going to do something like that and then kill himself.”“He was big into segregation and other stuff,” Dalton Tyler told ABC News. “He said he wanted to start a civil war. He said he was going to do something like that and then kill himself.”
Joseph Meek Jr, a childhood friend who saw Roof the morning before the shooting, said that, a few weeks ago, Roof told him that he had used birthday money from his parents to buy a .45-caliber Glock pistol and that he had “a plan”. He didn’t say what the plan was, but Meek said it scared him enough that he took the gun out of Roof’s car and hid it in his house until the next day.Joseph Meek Jr, a childhood friend who saw Roof the morning before the shooting, said that, a few weeks ago, Roof told him that he had used birthday money from his parents to buy a .45-caliber Glock pistol and that he had “a plan”. He didn’t say what the plan was, but Meek said it scared him enough that he took the gun out of Roof’s car and hid it in his house until the next day.
(Roof’s uncle Carson Cowles said this gun had been a 21st birthday gift from Roof’s parents.)(Roof’s uncle Carson Cowles said this gun had been a 21st birthday gift from Roof’s parents.)
Meek said he and Roof had never discussed race growing up. But when they recently reconnected and got drunk on vodka, Roof told him “blacks were taking over the world [and] someone needed to do something about it for the white race”, he told the Associated Press.Meek said he and Roof had never discussed race growing up. But when they recently reconnected and got drunk on vodka, Roof told him “blacks were taking over the world [and] someone needed to do something about it for the white race”, he told the Associated Press.
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“He said he wanted segregation between whites and blacks. I said, ‘That’s not the way it should be.’ But he kept talking about it,” Meek said.“He said he wanted segregation between whites and blacks. I said, ‘That’s not the way it should be.’ But he kept talking about it,” Meek said.
The comments resonate horribly with reported remarks Roof allegedly made to victims of the shooting. Sylvia Johnson, a cousin of Clementa Pinckney, a pastor killed in the attack, relayed a harrowing account she said was provided to her by a female survivor. The survivor’s son, who was also at the meeting, “was trying to talk him out of doing that act of killing people”, Johnson said. She added that Roof replied: “I have to do it. You rape our women and you’re taking over our country. And you have to go.”The comments resonate horribly with reported remarks Roof allegedly made to victims of the shooting. Sylvia Johnson, a cousin of Clementa Pinckney, a pastor killed in the attack, relayed a harrowing account she said was provided to her by a female survivor. The survivor’s son, who was also at the meeting, “was trying to talk him out of doing that act of killing people”, Johnson said. She added that Roof replied: “I have to do it. You rape our women and you’re taking over our country. And you have to go.”
Meek said that when he woke up on the morning of the mass killing Roof was at his house, sleeping in his car outside – its license plate bearing the flag of the slave-owning Confederate South, which fought an unsuccessful civil war to secede from the United States in the 1860s.Meek said that when he woke up on the morning of the mass killing Roof was at his house, sleeping in his car outside – its license plate bearing the flag of the slave-owning Confederate South, which fought an unsuccessful civil war to secede from the United States in the 1860s.
Later that day, Meek said he and some friends had gone to a nearby lake but Roof stayed behind, saying he would rather see a movie. The next time Meek saw Roof was in surveillance-camera photos distributed by police in the aftermath of the killing. “I knew it was him,” Meek said.Later that day, Meek said he and some friends had gone to a nearby lake but Roof stayed behind, saying he would rather see a movie. The next time Meek saw Roof was in surveillance-camera photos distributed by police in the aftermath of the killing. “I knew it was him,” Meek said.
A high school contemporary, John Mullins, told the Daily Beast: “He made a lot of racist jokes, but you don’t really take them seriously like that. You don’t really think of it like that.”A high school contemporary, John Mullins, told the Daily Beast: “He made a lot of racist jokes, but you don’t really take them seriously like that. You don’t really think of it like that.”
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But now, he said, it seemed that “the things he said were kind of not joking”.But now, he said, it seemed that “the things he said were kind of not joking”.
Richard Cohen, the president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, said Roof was not known to his organization, which tracks hate crimes across the US, but based on his Facebook page he appeared to be a “disaffected white supremacist”.Richard Cohen, the president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, said Roof was not known to his organization, which tracks hate crimes across the US, but based on his Facebook page he appeared to be a “disaffected white supremacist”.
The Facebook page showed him wearing a black jacket adorned with two flags associated with white supremacy: that of apartheid-era South Africa, and that of Rhodesia, the white-ruled country that later became Zimbabwe.The Facebook page showed him wearing a black jacket adorned with two flags associated with white supremacy: that of apartheid-era South Africa, and that of Rhodesia, the white-ruled country that later became Zimbabwe.
There was little personally identifying information on the page, which has not been independently verified by the Guardian, but it is notable that a number of his Facebook friends are black.There was little personally identifying information on the page, which has not been independently verified by the Guardian, but it is notable that a number of his Facebook friends are black.
“He had black friends,” a high school friend, Antonio Metze, told AP. “I never thought he’d do something like this.”“He had black friends,” a high school friend, Antonio Metze, told AP. “I never thought he’d do something like this.”
Meek’s mother, Kimberly Konzny, described Roof as a “sweet kid”. “He was quiet. He only had a few friends,” she said.Meek’s mother, Kimberly Konzny, described Roof as a “sweet kid”. “He was quiet. He only had a few friends,” she said.
His uncle described him as introverted. Carson Cowles told his sister, Roof’s mother, that the young man was overly withdrawn, Reuters reported.His uncle described him as introverted. Carson Cowles told his sister, Roof’s mother, that the young man was overly withdrawn, Reuters reported.
“I said he was like 19 years old, 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,” Cowles said.“I said he was like 19 years old, 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,” Cowles said.
But Mullins told the Daily Beast that the young Roof had been “kind of wild”.But Mullins told the Daily Beast that the young Roof had been “kind of wild”.
“He used drugs heavily a lot,” Mullins said. “It was obviously harder than marijuana. He was like a pill popper, from what I understood. Like Xanax, and stuff like that.”“He used drugs heavily a lot,” Mullins said. “It was obviously harder than marijuana. He was like a pill popper, from what I understood. Like Xanax, and stuff like that.”
Though police say Roof lived in Columbia, North Carolina, he apparently had ties to the nearby Lexington area. Roof had a mixed educational record in the Lexington school district, attending White Knoll high school in both the 2008-09 and 2009-10 school years.Though police say Roof lived in Columbia, North Carolina, he apparently had ties to the nearby Lexington area. Roof had a mixed educational record in the Lexington school district, attending White Knoll high school in both the 2008-09 and 2009-10 school years.
He repeated ninth grade both years, but was pulled and re-enrolled more than once. He also attended White Knoll elementary school for fourth grade in 2003-04.He repeated ninth grade both years, but was pulled and re-enrolled more than once. He also attended White Knoll elementary school for fourth grade in 2003-04.
The Lexington school district said it was unable to find annual photos of Roof, and that it has no records of other schools he might have attended.The Lexington school district said it was unable to find annual photos of Roof, and that it has no records of other schools he might have attended.
Roof previously had at least two run-ins with the law. The Lexington county district attorney’s office confirmed that Roof had been charged with possession of a controlled substance in March but the circumstances surrounding that arrest remain unclear.Roof previously had at least two run-ins with the law. The Lexington county district attorney’s office confirmed that Roof had been charged with possession of a controlled substance in March but the circumstances surrounding that arrest remain unclear.
He was also arrested in April for misdemeanour trespassing in Lexington county.He was also arrested in April for misdemeanour trespassing in Lexington county.
Additional reporting by Michael SafiAdditional reporting by Michael Safi