Accused Charleston shooter Dylann Roof indicted on federal hate crimes charges

Federal hate crime charges were filed against accused Charleston Church shooter Dyalnn Roof on Wednesday.

The Post Courier noted that a grand jury indicted the 21-year-old white male accused of killing nine black members of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina last month.

At an afternoon news conference, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said that the shooting is believed to have been racially motivated.

“Roof conceived his goal of increasing racial tensions and seeking retribution for perceived wrongs that he believed African Americans have committed against white people,” she said. “To carry out these twin goals of fanning racial flames and exacting revenge, Roof further decided to seek out and murder African Americans because of their race.”

As previously reported, Roof allegedly admitted to the shootings and told investigators that he wanted to start a race war.

He is charged with the nine murders, three attempted murders, a weapon’s offense and 12 violations of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

mugshot courtesy of arrests.org

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