08:55 18/06/2015
Charleston - Nine people were killed when a white gunman entered a
historic African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina, and
opened fire, the city's police chief said on Thursday.
One other
person was wounded and taken to a hospital, Chief Gregory Mullen told
reporters about four hours after the shooting on Wednesday evening.
Describing
the shooting as a hate crime, Mullen said: "It is unfathomable that
somebody in today's society would walk into a church when people are
having a prayer meeting and take their lives."
He also said that an all-clear had been sounded after an earlier bomb threat in the area of the church.
‘Unspeakable’
Charleston Mayor Joe Riley expressed his heartbreak at the events that unfolded at the church.
"This
is an unspeakable and heartbreaking tragedy in this most historic
church, an evil and hateful person took the lives of citizens who had
come to worship and pray together," Riley told the Post and Courier
newspaper in South Carolina.
Charleston Police Department
spokesperson Charles Francis said the shooting occurred at the Emanuel
AME Church around 21:00 local time.
Police have provided no information on victims.
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