Clementa Carlos Pinckney, a 41-year-old African American man, was a respected state senator and the senior pastor of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. On the evening of June 17, 2015, he was leading a bible study at his historic church, a place of worship and a beacon for the Black community for 200 years.
That night, a 21-year-old white man named Dylann Roof was welcomed into the bible study group, where he sat for about an hour before opening fire on the parishioners. Pinckney was among the nine people who lost their lives in the racially motivated attack.
The shooter, Dylann Roof, fled the scene after the massacre, sparking a manhunt that ended with his capture the following morning in Shelby, North Carolina, about 245 miles from Charleston. A citizen's tip led to his arrest during a traffic stop. Upon his arrest, Roof confessed to the killings, stating his motive was to ignite a race war. He had researched the Emanuel AME Church, targeting it because of its historical significance in the African American community. Investigations revealed Roof held strong white supremacist beliefs.
Dylann Roof faced charges at both the federal and state levels. In his federal trial, he was charged with 33 counts, including hate crimes. In December 2016, a jury found him guilty on all charges. Subsequently, in January 2017, he was sentenced to death for his crimes. To avoid a second death penalty, Roof pleaded guilty to state murder charges in April 2017 and was sentenced to nine consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
