welcome to our viewers in the united states and all around the world. i'm rosemary church. >> and i'm erin burnett. we continue to follow breaking news out of south carolina where authorities are searching for a gunman who opened fire at a church in charlston. nine people have died.

>> they ask for unity during what is a difficult time for people there. take a listen to what they have to say. >> we need everybody to come together and pray for these families and we need them to come together and help us find this person so nobody else is hurt and what we need is for the community to look at this and say we have had enough of this violence and if we stand up together we can stop this violence. that's what we need this community to do. >> we are all in this together in this community to help those who have lost a loved one get through this time and give them love and support and encouragement as we bring this awful person to justice as soon as humanly possible. >> and as law enforcement swarmed the scene of this deadly shooting, people gathered in

circles to play. emanuel african methodist episcopal church is the oldest such church in the southern united states and people are outraged a it the senseless violence that has broken out in a place that is supposed to be a safe haven. >> you tell people to go to work, do right, go to church. these people were in church. they were in church. and they violated the sanctity of that. you know, the ramifications are way beyond just what happened tonight. this is just unacceptable. we are communities trying to live and survive. why do we have to live like this. we need peace. and we ask you all out there in the community to stand behind that. >> you can certainly agree with that sentiment. they need peace. south carolina governor nik

nikki haley says we do know that we'll never understand what motivates anyone to enter one of our places of worship and take the life of another. we want to bring in one of our correspondents who is on the scene. ashley we heard from the police chief and the mayor and they gave us details on what has happened here exactly what we are likely to learn perhaps in the last few hours. can we expect another news conference from law officials or not? >> we were told we would get one at 3:00 eastern time. but it has been pushed back and pushed back. people were anxious wanting to hear what was going on if the suspect was still at large as he

is and just trying to get details. >> does that mean we may hear again from officials at 3:00 a.m. eastern considering they have given us that initial update? >> correct. we are expecting to hear them again in the next hour, hopefully. it could be later than that, though. >> and we assume because it's 2:00 a.m. there on the east coast things are dying down but this indicate getting them up and out. but from what you can see, the area around the church has it been lokd down and a-- locked d everyone headed home? >> we are two blocks from the church. this is as close as we can get. they closed it off. they are telling anyone who wanders into the area to go in the opposite direction. there was a bomb threat earlier tonight which is why they pushed

us in the media back a couple blocks. the bomb threat has been cleared but they are trying to keep people out of the immediate area. there have been folks who have come out tonight, a few dozen, i would say, a lot local community leaders, religious leaders, people who are curious about what is happening and they are still here a few hours into the night and they want to stay out here until they hear more about what is going on and they are calling for calm heads to prevail but also calling for justice. >> and the problem is, of course, it is just after 2:00 in the morning. there had been a number of people in the restaurants there along meeting street which is very nearby. that's where a lot of the tourists tend to gather. it's a very active community anyway, a social community. talk about what has happened as far as making sure those people can get safely home. there would be a lot of

nervousness given that the suspect is still on the loose. >> yes, the police chief did urge caution to people who live in the area. they did not give specific orders to say what they should be doing right now. but they said to be on the lookout, the suspect the still at large. i talked to a couple of girls who were wandering down the street and tried to go to a couple bars but the bars are closing down early for the night. most of the people who had been out having dinner and late drinks, most of left, the streets are emptier at this point as you would expect at 2:00 in the morning. >> ashley, our producer in charleston, south carolina. she is staying up late for us in the wee hours of the morning. and police officials and perhaps the mayor and police chief will update the media at 3:00 a.m.

eastern and that last update they updated the death toll at nine people killed and eight in the shooting and one person later at hospital. we could see that number increase in the wee hours of the morning as we approach tomorrow but it's the most concerning thing is that the suspect, this white, young male still on the loose and as eluded police so far. >> and authorities were talking. they said this is a hate crime. they also said that they would be announcing at some point, perhaps in an hour from now that a reward would posted for any information that could lead to bringing this suspect to justice in any way. and they said that will happen. >> and you do have kind of a concern of a security situation there in charleston. republican presidential candidate jeb bush has cancelled an event he had planned in the city tomorrow. his campaign says, quote, his thoughts and prayers are with

the individuals and families affected by this family. >> we are going to have much more throughout the hour. a reminder you can also track the very latest developments by going to our website, cnn.com. for now though, we turn to upstate new york for the latest on the manhunt for the two escaped killers. authorities admit that david matt and richard sweat could be anywhere by now after two weeks on the run. >> police have more than 1400 leads and are searifting their search area across the border. >> reporter: wanted posters are being handed out along the canadian and mexican borders. this as the search is expanding and shifting to other areas surrounding the clinton collectional facility in dannemora. officials admitting today that the hunt for the two is not

promising. >> i can tell you right now as well we have no information that they have been able to leave the area. that being said, it doesn't mean that they haven't been able to escape this area. but we have new information. >> reporter: there is new information about the woman who allegedly helped them escape. joyce witchell -- mitchell wander her husband that they planned to kill him. >> while lyle knew about the plot to kill him he was unaware that she was having sexual relations with at least one of the inmates. the clinton county sheriff talked about her demeanor now that she is behind bars.

>> i think it's a little bit early for that. there's an awful lot going on around her just with the media attention and i think she is still consuming that and on s h absorbing that. >> the attorney has had one opportunity to speak to his client face to face since the arrest. as for her husband there have been questions about whether he knew about the escape plan. >> as of today, we had no information whatsoever that he had prior knowledge of the escape or that he participated or actively assisted in the escape of the two inmates. >> reporter: the two inmates very much on the run. every lead being followed. searchers waiting for the one that leads to them. jason carroll, cnn, dannemora, new york. new york news anchor brian williams future has been in question for months.

>> he was suspended in february after he admitted to incorrectly reporting he was on a helicopter that was shot down. but he will stay on at nbc after his suspension ends in august but not as the anchor at nightly news. he will have a role at msnbc. pope francis is weighing in on climate change. in just a matter of hours, in fact the catholic leader will release a public letter called an encyclical. >> what is this document and why is it so significant? >> it's called the praised be on the care of our common home. pope fran 'tis's encyclical on climate change and protecting the environment. this is the first time that the release of a papal encyclical

has been so awaited. >> if we destroy creation, creation will destroy us. time to take out the trash. >> a pontiff fighting for god's creation. >> reporter: but what is an encyclical? it's the most authoritative document a pope can issue. it's usually written for catholic clergy and lay people. but this one is addressed to everyone religious or not. encyclicals are not infallible but not just the pope's opinion, either. [ speaking foreign language ] and catholics are called to take them seriously. pope francis is not the first pope to express concern about the environment.

pope paul vi talked about the degradation of nature by man. but francis is the first pope ever to dedicate an entire encyclical to ecological concerns. >> i don't get economic policy from my bishops or my cardinals or pope. >> reporter: a move that concerns the conservatives. and be bad news for big business and oil. as the first pope from the developing world, pope francis' emphasis on the connection between the destruction of the earth's resources and its impact on the poor. the timing of the document's release is also significant. coming the same year as the united nations climate change conference in paris this december. with the pope's popularity this encyclical will be a milestone that places the roman catholic

church at the forefront at one of the major scientific and moral issues of our times. delia gallagher, cnn, rome. thank you so much for joining us here on cnn. of course we know a copy of the pope's encyclical has been leaked but it's not the final version. so what are you expecting pope francis will say about climate change? >> well i think we can assume based on comments he has already made that he is going to affirm that climate change, global warming, is the result -- a lot of it is a result of man's activity. so with the heating of the earth and with fossil fuels he will talk about those very specifically, i believe because he has spoken about them before and critique the way we have not moved forward toward renewable energy and depended on the

energy that is heating up the globe. >> why do you think the pope's encyclical was leaked? who benefits from that? >> well i'm not sure about why it was leaked. there is speculation that those who are not happy with him in the vatican leaked it to embarrass him or someone gave it to a journalist friend who passed it on to someone and this was a scoop for the italian paper that published it, although the one who did publish it has some hell to pay now but he has been banned from any vatican interaction for a while. they are getting their come uppance for it. but it could be to embarrass pope francis. >> we're hearing that pope francis will likely blast those who deny global warning and some conservative catholic political leaders won't like that. how will the pope likely respond

to his critics, do you think? >> i'm not sure he will respond to his critics. the pope is speaking on the side of science here. the majority of scientists affirm that climate change, global warming is manmade. in addition to environmental influences but man has a hand in this. he is pretty confident. i think the pope will put everything in the context that we are not the center of the universe. and we have to respect the interrelatedness. this is a theme that the pope has spoke on again and again. we are going to see a critique of the world economy that oppresses the poor. he's going to say the poor are the ones affected most by this

raping and pillaging of the environment. and it's a sociopolitical statement. >> and it is interesting, too, the timing just before some global meetings on climate change. so we'll see what sort of impact and influence this has on those meetings yet to come. father edward beck thank you for talking with us on cnn. we appreciate it. >> my pleasure. we're going to take a short break but we are following the breaking news out of charleston, south carolina. nine people dead after a shooting at a church. plus law enforcements in hong kong have made history. a decision has been made on a controversial bill impacting how they will choose their leaders. we will take you there live. that's coming up next. s, we did battle. until i said... you will not beat...

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welcome back to our breaking news coverage in the united states. police say nine people are dead after a mass shooting at a predominantly black church in charleston, south carolina. police have yet to identify any of the victims.

the suspect is still at large at this hour. authorities say he is a white male in his 20s wearing a gray shirt and blue jeans. and just a short time ago, a presiding elder at the church asked for prayers. >> we want the entire community to pray for safety for our people. and that we would hope that this person who has committed this heinous crime which is a hate crime be brought to justice. we stand in solidarity but solicit your prayers for the family member who lost loved ones here tonight. >> this is video taken two weeks ago inside the emanuel african methodist episcopal church. we don't know where exactly in the building this shooting took place. but this is a look at the sanctuary. you siros of pews inside this

s historic church formed in 1816. it was an important point in the underground railroad helping slaves find their way to freedom. it's located in downtown charleston where thousands of tourist visit during this time of year and throughout the year, in fact. and we will continue to cover that story but it's we also have breaking news in hong kong. law enforcements have rejected a plan for electoral reform there. china would certainly not be happy at this point. >> reporter: this is definitely a slap in the face not only to the administrators of hong kong but also to their allies, the

chinese central government which had endorsed this bill and now has seen it voted down. now a lot of people already predicted that the pro-beijing faction would not get the two-thirds majority it needed to pass the votes. but the pro-beijing faction staged a walkout in the middle of the vote to try to deny a quorum for a vote to pass but not all the members walked out. in the end there were enough lawmakers in the assembly hall for the vote to be conducted successfully and in the end, out of a 70-person assembly there were 37 people present, 28 voted against the election law and eight voted in favor. so it was an embarrassing

miscalculation by supporters of beijing here in hong kong's legislative council in the end, pro-democracy lawmakers from the pan-democratic faction were celebrating, calling this a victory. take a listen to what one lawmaker said to me. >> all kind of things in china is safe. so we don't have -- we don't want to have democratic system in hong kong. we want to fight for gender and democracy but we will not accept such type of arrangement especially for people using such dirty tactics. >> rosemary this has been a confusing debate. you have seen roles reversed here. the pro-beijing faction were proposing a law that would allow residents of hong kong to vote for the first time in 2017 to

elect their own chief executive the top official in hong kong and the pro-beijing faction saying this is a step in the direction of democracy and the opponents who claim to represent freedom of speech and freedom of expression and democratic values here who were argue against it, arguing that it would be a sham election in 2017 because essentially it would be the communist party in beijing that would be vetting which candidate could run for office. the second highest official here in hong kong, carrie lam moments before the vote took place, she made these comments. take a listen. >> translator: at this moment, the reform propose will soon be voted down i'm sad. i'm disappointed. i don't know when democratization can be taken forward.

>> reporter: what essentially we've gotten now is for the second time in less than a year both with the street protests, the so-called umbrella revolution that was in hong kong last autumn and now with this vote you've had a portion of portion of hong kong society saying no to the administrators of this city and by extension, to the ruling central government in beijing in mainland china. and that is something that the communist party in china is not accustomed to seeing from its own citizens. rosemary. >> it will be interesting to see what the next move here is, what happens from china at this point. so ivan watson bringing us up to date live from hong kong. many thanks to you. we're going to take a break here. charleston's police chief is calling it a hate crime. we will have the latest on a shooting at a church in south carolina. after two weeks on the run,

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