episcopal church an african methodist episcopal church. we are waiting on a briefing from officials at any moment. we already heard from them once this morning where they put out the picture of the man they believe responsible for this and what may be his vehicle. they said they would come back to us with enhanced imaging that we understand the fbi is doing as well as enhanced understanding about why this was done and what happened inside. because that is very relevant to their investigation right now. this wasn't a simple situation where someone walked in, shot and left. so let's begin our complete coverage this morning with cnn's nick valencia on the ground. nick, what is the latest from charleston? >> reporter: good morning, chris. a fluid situation here in charleston where there is an active manhunt for a suspect in the shooting. the alleged suspect, 21 years old. no identification given but police say a distinctive haircut, distinctive sweatshirt and they believe they pinpointed the car he came in last night to carry out this murder.

nine people left dead including a state senator. just a short time ago, i spoke to another senator here who confirmed to me the pastor of this historic church, clementa pinckney has died. we are hearing that this potential suspect could still be in the charleston area. there are a lot of moving parts here. right now it's still unclear what was the motive. what would compel somebody to carry out this attack. but we understand it was carried out during a bible study session. also what we're told from state senator kipson is that the pastor at this church just hours before, was debating the budget saying he needed to come to a meeting here at this church a very important

meeting. and he was here when this senseless tragedy was taken out. we'll take you to the press conference now where we will hear from the police chief and hear more details. first of all, i want to briefly go over the facts we started with last night and we'll add some things as we go along. and i think as you have already been told at the conclusion of the comments we'll start to my right. if you have questions, we'll identify you. please don't shout questions out to us. i want to make sure we answer your questions logically and so that everybody understands them. last night at approximately 9:05 the charleston county consolidated dispatch received a call for a shooting that occurred at the emanuel ame church in downtown charleston. charleston police were immediately dispatched and arrived at that location. when we did, we initially identified eight victims inside of the church that had suffered

gunshot wounds. earlier we told you that there were two victims that were transported to musc. there was actually one victim that was transported to musc and that individual is deceased as well. so we have a total of nine victims that were involved in this very tragic situation that occurred last night. the victims, there were three males and six female victims in this tragedy. as we told you last night, we have a unified command that has been set up that is comprised of the charleston police department the charleston sheriff's office state law enforcement division federal bureau of investigations alcohol, tobacco and firearms and other agencies that are working with us. we are committed, we are determined and we are definitely

working right now with a number of agents and police officers in our region to identify the individual that we passed out to you about one hour ago that is the suspect in this case. this is a situation that is unacceptable in any society, and especially in our society and our city. we are committed to do whatever is necessary to bring this individual to justice. and i am committed and all the people that are working with us are committed to do whatever it takes to work as long as we have to our partners are committed. we are bringing in resources from washington, d.c. the fbi headquarters to help us. we have set up a hotline, 1-800-call-fbi. we have agents and police officers manning that phone. we will continue to man that phone until we have identified and arrested this suspect. as critical as it is for the

members of the community who have seen the picture of the vehicle as well as the suspect call law enforcement. this is a very dangerous individual. he should not be approached by anyone. call law enforcement if you recognize the individual or the car so that we can take the appropriate action to address this situation. again, this is a very dangerous individual and we don't want more people harmed trying to approach him or trying to follow the vehicle if they see it. notify law enforcement and we will address that. we are also very concerned about the families of the victims. we have set up a family assistance center at the embassy suites in downtown charleston. we have members of the charleston advocate unit and those from the victims assistant unit as well.

from the time this call came in we have resources coming from all over the east coast. we've got more resources that are coming in this morning from the fbi and other federal agencies. state law enforcement division has committed a significant number of resources, both their agents we are not leaving any stone unturned. it's a tragedy that we are addressing right now and it's undescribable. no one in this community will ever forget this night. and as a result of that and because of the pain and because of the hurt that this individual has cost this community, this entire community, the law

enforcement agencies that are working on this are committed and we will catch this individual. the important thing for you as the media is to help us catch this individual. you have the ability to get his picture, to get his car out to places quickly. social media, please help us to help our community. first of all, i thank you, chief mullen and members of the police department and to all the departments who are here from the state, the fbi, the county and the jurisdictions. the quality of the work about law enforcement agencies has been inspiring.

this is an unfathomable and unspeakable act. how somebody filled with hate and with a deranged mind -- this person is dangerous and we need every step we can get to bring this person into custody as soon as possible. and, of course we'll make sure that he pays the price for the horrible act. in our community, which is a community to gather, people understand and respect each other. it is a community that honors our religious institutions and respect the different cultures and beliefs.

including the ame church where this horrific crime occurred last night. so in charleston you have this horrible person that goes into the church there to pray and worship with each other is something that is beyond uncomprehensible and not explained. but this is what we can do. we can catch this no-good,

horrible person and see that he pays the price. and then what we will do and what this community has always done is we are going to put people in our churches. and the african churches are social pieces of the fabric of society here for a few hundred years. people come to these churches to pray and worship and to support each other, to help each other. and this historic church was exactly that. so what this community will do and i have seen this great community with challenges before. you will see the nightassistance and

kindness and help. and these citizens and families and the chief and i met with them last night, and we hugged as many as we could. there were probably a couple hundreds in there, families and friends weeping and distraught. mothers and grandfathers and grandmothers killed in their church. and we extended to them from our community our love. so today we are committed to find g finding this horrible scoundrel, but today we are going to -- this community is going to provide the best example of a community coming together to

help those grieving because of an unbelievable event that forever ruptured their family bond. and we will work to heal them love them and support them. in that church as long as we live. >> we'll start right here. questions? yes, ma'am. [ inaudible ] >> as soon as she can identify the family members, she'll put the information out. but right now, obviously, our biggest concern is making sure that family members are communicated with first. okay? yes, sir. >> reporter: a lot of the streets around the site have been open. does that mean the suspect is

not in the area? >> we don't have any information about any specific location. if we did, that's where we would be. so we need for the whole community to be vigilant. that's why we got the information out about the vehicle and the picture. hopefully with all the officers that we have out in the community and the region we hope to identify the suspect and this vehicle. the individual was actually in the church attending a meeting that was going on there and stayed there almost an hour with the group before the actual event. yes, sir. >> reporter: the mayor said -- can you talk about the suspect leapting one woman escape? >> we are not going to talk about that part of the investigation right now. >> reporter: how about following up on the bomb threat any more details on that? >> we made sure there was not a

bomb last night and we are still following up on the leads. we are not sure exactly if there's a connection right now, but that's certainly something that we're following up on. yes, sir. >> reporter: you saw the shooter in the surveillance can you describe his demeanor? >> we are going to send out some additional stills to you in a very short period of time. i'm not really going to comment on any kind of attitude or anything. yes, ma'am. >> reporter: do you have a number of survivors? >> there were three. yes, ma'am. >> reporter: can you tell us what type of weapon he used or gun? >> we are not talking about the forensic piece. we'll do that later but not right now. yes, ma'am. [ inaudible ] >> we are not in the position to answer that question. i don't know that. it's still under investigation. as soon as we identify either the individual that we can talk to him, i might be able to answer that question but right now we don't know if anyone else was targeted other than the

church itself. yes, ma'am. [ inaudible ] >> reporter: what else were you going off of? >> there's been information that developed in the investigation that would lead us to believe that. we are not going to put that out right now because if we do capture the individual we want to make sure during our interview process that we are getting real information from him, not something that has been posted on the internet or through story. yes, sir. [ inaudible ] >> we are getting phone calls in. i know that the phone calls are coming in. as soon as the phone calls are coming in if legitimate we are sending out teams of investigators. >> reporter: you just said there's no reason to believe anyone was targeted. one thing you did say was the family members were being covered by police protective services? >> victim assistance. whenever you have a tragedy, you want to make sure that you offer asis the answer to the victims'

family members. it's a grief situation and our victim advocates there will assist them throughout this process. >> i'm just going to say that's an important part of police work. so we have police chaplains, victim as is a tants. personnel on payroll as well as volunteers. so it's a huge cadamount of people. it was an amazing sight to see all the officers there with the family members and working with them to get through the most difficult time of their lives. >> this is the latest information we have. it was from south carolina authorities including the police chief there in charleston as well as charleston's mayor. and they did share with us new information. at 9:05 the charleston police department received a phone call with a shooting at this historic church. they said nine people were killed six of them men, three

of them women. they have set up a center for families desperate and grieving right now. and they also talked a little bit more about what happened during that hour between 8:00 and 9:00. they believe the suspect entered the church at 8:00 and stayed in the church. it sounded like he participated somehow in the prayer group. he was there in the prayer group for an hour before the charleston police got those terrible phone calls to rush to the scene. we want to bring in now south carolina state senator marlon kimpson, senator, we are so sorry for the loss your community is going through this morning. >> thank you for your condolences. >> what can you tell us about the only victim's name that we know at the moment being this

pastor clementa pinckney one of your colleagues there in the senate. what can you tell us about him? >> well, he was a giant legend. he was the moral part of the state senate. when we would have difficult times and would be at an impasse discussing major pieces of legislation, it was senator pinckney who brought a sense of calmness to the body so that we could collectively negotiate towards a success fulful end. we are current ligating the budget so both the house and the senate was in session. but before the meeting ended, he indicated to me that he had a very important church meeting to

attend in the state capital. so i was aware he was at a meeting in charleston and not in columbia at the time of the shooting. when i learned around 9:30 from the chair of the county council, i immediately called senator pinckney but there was no answer. when i eventually made it over to the victims' assistance center at the embassy suites i did have a brief conversation with his wife and his two daughters. and we are asking the nation for prayer for the city of charleston and for all the victims of this horrific tragedy. >> what a loss. everything we have heard about this pastor is that he was the pillar of the community and a voice of solace for people there. can you tell us anything more about the other victims?

do you know who they were? >> reporter: well, other the description i was listening to from chief mullen other than the descriptions he announced, i don't really have any more details. i do know that there were a number of family members there. i do know one of the biggest pieces of legislation in this session, the body camera deal we were getting some opposition. and he gave a speech on the senate floor and talked about violence. but he talked about unity and the general assembly the need to send a melszage to the rest of the nation that we would react in the aftermath of a shooting. and that is what is so ironic about this tragedy. >> senator, we want to talk about the crime scene, which could not be more historically significant. this is the historic emanuel

african methodist episcopal church. there was a prayer meeting going on at 8:00 p.m. there last night. why do you think anyone would target that church? >> i have no idea. and so i'm hoping that law enforcement can bring this shooter to justice and explore. but i do believe this is a hate crime. anyone of any race who goes into a church and commits this act has hate in his heart. and we are resilient people in charleston. we will rebound and move forward, but i think we have to collectively as a state embrace that there is not -- we have to

bring this forward to the legislative agenda. and when the suspect is captured we need to feather out what was in his state of mind when he committed this horrific crime. >> senator, there was a lot going on in charleston last night when this happened. hillary clinton was about a mile away. she was having a political event there in charleston. jeb bush was supposed to be having his own event there today but since canceled it because of the tragedy. do you make anything of the timing of this crime? >> reporter: i don't want to speculate. obviously, you know in charleston we have a presidential primary coming up. so both republicans and democrats are coming through the state. and this is one of the most active elaborate bases, but that's not a unique thing to

charleston charleston. there was a unique fire to charleston years prior and we lost nine firefighters. so it's ironic that the shooter killed nine people and just years ago on this same day. i can't tell you what was in the shooter's state of mind only that there was hate in his heart. >> in fact the dr. martin luther king center in georgia put out a powerful statement about this early this morning. in which they said we believe that nonviolence is not just about our physical response but includes our social media communication. they are urging everyone even on social media, to keep a level head. they went on to say we have to defy hate with truth and love. they are calling for people to

transcend the hate but that is easier said than done. what are you telling your constituents saying this morning? >> we are preaching patience and be asking the community to come together. in fact last night a group of ministers and community members led prayer right behind me. that's what we'll be doing for the better part of the day, but let me be clear, we want to come away with an agenda to reduce gun violence. we just recently debated a deal against the general assembly to those who use their hands in the physical abuse of domestic victims. and most of this was protecting the rights of gun owners to have guns. we must make getting guns out of

the hands of bad people in the legislative agenda and that's what i intend to do when session goes back in january. >> state senator marlon kimpson, thank you for joining us this morning. >> thank you. you are going to see this online and should circulate it. that's what the authorities want you to do. he's the man who entered a bible study, stayed there for an hour according to authorities and then opened fire killing nine people. he may have said things inside as well that show why he wanted this to happen and what he wanted people to say. we're going to stay on this story and talk with the head of the naacp next. remember this picture circulating around. people in prayer on a wednesday evening, obviously,

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welcome back. we are following breaking news. there's an intense manhunt underway for the man who killed nine people inside a charleston south carolina church. the naacp released a statement

over the massacre and understandably so. joining us live from palo alto is the naacp president cornell william brooks. good to have you on the show but not for this reason. we read the statement that came out. what is your understanding of why this happened? >> well, first of all, let me extend condolences to the community and the family of emanuel ame church. on behalf of the naacp and a minister this is a heartbreaking tragedy. we understand based on the statements of the mayor and the police chief that this is in fact a hate crime. the facts are not yet known. the search for the suspect is ongoing, but it seems very clear that this is a hateful act. it is a desecration of not only a sanctuary but our spirit as a

country. i mean it is -- make no mistake about this. this is like columbine coming to a church. i mean as a minister i have taught bible study, it is a relaxed moment. it is not like on sunday. people are not particularly alert. there's a smaller group of people in the sanctuary or off in a meeting room or a chapel. and so this is a very tragic moment. >> we understand also from the authorities that the gunman may have entered the bible study and remained as long as an hour before this violence taking place. one of things the authorities are doing is trying to see if there are any connections to any other threats that were placed in that community, maybe involving churches like this. do you know anything about that or is there any history of this in that area? >> so we are in touch with our local naacp, the state conference leadership and our people on the ground.

there is a concern that the cause of the killing of walter scott and the heightened tensions that this may be an act of revenge or a reprisal. but the fact is that we don't yet know the facts. so we don't want to get ahead of the facts. and the focus here must be on apprehending this suspect and witnesses coming forward and being helpful to the police. emanuel ame is a historic church. it is a revered church. and it is a church like the entire ame denomination that was born in social justice and social protest, so that someone might target it as -- for a hate crime is tragic but not altogether surprising. >> this particular church is known for that. more many churches in that

community, literally, within blocks of each other, but this one stands out and would be a target for someone who is trying to make a point like that. but then again, the shooter also fits a common description we see with mass shooters in this country recently. what will be the response of the naacp? what is the message and what will be the actions? >> well, our response always is to deploy our people on the ground to assess the situation, to assist in any investigation. two, to reach out to the justice department and local authorities. three, we encourage and increase the peace as it were. but we have been in that community for many years and will continue to be in that community. and we will continue to assist support and i dare say minister to the community because that's what we do. that's what we are about. that constitutes our character. at this moment we vail to stand

with the families there. an official within the ame church is my brother in the ministry. so this hits home. we intend to wrap our arms around the community and being supportive and being the kind of people that i believe we are called to be. >> and we have heard the same message from the mayor there saying that this is a holy city and that the members of this church or members of this community will come together. mr. brooks thank you for joining us on "new day." we'll stay on this story. thank you, sir. >> thank you, chris. the community of charleston in mourning as is the nation. nine people shot and killed at a historic church. police have labeled this a hate crime. we're going to take you back to charleston for more information about this young man they are

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more on our breaking news now, nine people shot and killed in what police call a hate crime at a historic church in south carolina. at this hour police are still in pursuit of this suspect. they believe this is the gunman. they have just released this new image. it is much clearer than what we had seen an hour ago. the church's pastor is one of the victims. he also served as a state senator and is among those nine dead. cnn's nick valencia is back from charleston with the latest. tell us about the new image that authorities just put out. >> reporter: good morning, allyson. yes, new images just into cnn right now, probably the most clear image we have seen of this alleged shooter. and we want you to take a good look because police need your help in tracking this suspect down. these images likely taken from a surveillance camera outside the church show the 21-year-old approach the door sometime last night. that dark colored four-door sedan that he allegedly drove to the crime scene is parked right behind him. police need your help at a press

conference and have encouraged the public. any tip is welcome according to police. an active manhunt for this dangerous individual is underway. they did tell us some time after 8:00 p.m. this man arrived at the historic emanuel church here and stayed an hour with the bible study here and the planning conference that was supposed to be held at this church. some time after 9:00 p.m. police received a call there was a mass shooting with nine people killed. one of these confirmed is state senator clementa pinckney. police regionally the fbi, assistance from washington, d.c. all hands are on deck according to police. they describe this as a hate crime. and the police immediate your help to track down this white male 21 years old. a slender build and 5'9" in

height. the pictures we just received are perhaps the clearest image of this stuff. >> we can see the fabric hanging down from his shirt and we also see a navy trap there on his shoulder. have they given you more insight into the clues they are seeing? >> reporter: it only can be assumed police have more details than they are releasing to the public but they say this individual has a distinctive haircut, a bull shaved haircut as well as a distinctive license plate. details of what was on the license plate have not been released. and we understand words were exchanged between the suspect and the individuals praying at the bible study session, which has led police to believe that this was a hate crime and this target was intend eded.

>> it's believed he has a fanny pack on there. we'll see what is going on there on the federal side. michelle kosinski is live at the white house. we know the fbi is involved and tracking this individual and also looking to connect it to any threats to domestic terror groups to see if that's part of the play here. what do you hear? >> reporter: that's always a big question here before details are known. does this have a link to terrorism? so we know that's going on on the justice side. as for the white house, we know they are aware of this and are working on a statement currently. we can only assume that the president has been made aware of this because for now his press staff has said this.

there have been many shootings by police the shootings of police, the doj investigations that have resulted. but recently we heard the president talk about the communities themselves. the tensions that are there, the healing that needs to go on within communities and within individuals. and just yesterday we saw the president for his new attorney general erika lynch. >> many of the human rights have come after periods of heartbreaking loss. but they come because we choose not to give in to the twin pulls of revenge and retribution but we turn to the law. >> reporter: that seems pertinent to what is going on. but because the department of

justice is looking this we'll wait to hear from them as well as the white house. back to you. >> we'll continue to follow our breaking news as we watch what happens there in charleston as a manhunt continues for a gunman who shot and killed nine people. they are calling it a hate crime. we're going to take a look more at these incidents and if other churches potentially are facing threats. 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. rengthens teeth, helps prevent cavities and restores tooth enamel. it's an easy way to give listerine® total care to the total family. listerine® total care. one bottle, six benefits. power to your mouth™. if you have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis like me... and you're talking to a rheumatologist about a biologic this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain and protect my joints from further damage. this is humira helping me reach for

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we are watching our breaking news. nine people killed inside a historic black church in charleston south carolina. the alleged shooter is white, a young man, 21 years old. officials are deeming this a hate crime. joining us now from cnn, our political commentator and host of "huff post live." we all have heavy hearts when we see any kind of violence but this particularly in a house of worship is causing so many people to struggle with this. i am wondering -- i know you're

shocked by what you see, all of us are, is this an attack on religion? is this an attack on african-americans? >> obviously, once we find out exactly what happened in the church exactly what was said and what his intent was, we'll know more. but historically churches are a site of black faith, black hope so when someone attacks black people in a black church it has an extraordinary impact on the church and it may seem like terrorism. >> again, we were talking earlier about how it seems strategic and targeting leaders is also something very strategic that say, for instance another terrorist group, the ku klux klan was intentional about taking out certain leaders to de-stable them. the senator being one of the murdered i think, is also adding to the magnitude of this. and i was in the green room when one of the investigators was talking about how when you're at a scene like this and people's

cell phones start to go off. and it made it very real that there are people all all over. i just talked to a friend that has family in south carolina. they're in a state of -- they're in a state. and people's families and communities are being destabled. this is what a terrorist does. he takes and rocks a community at their core. and this is core domestic terrorism. i said earlier too, i'm glad any grandparents aren't alive. but some of my family is alive that lived in jim crow south carolina. what is this doing to them? this has opened up a gaping wound in american history. no one gets out of this without being hurt right? >> and this church in

particular -- this was a particularly historic church. martin luther king spoke there. it has a long and storied and impressive history. you have to conclude this was a target. this was a message they were trying to send. >> i'm always reluctant to make too many conclusions. but again white man enters church kills nine black people in a historic site in abolition and religious freedom et cetera. it does have an impact on the community and that's what's stunning. >> authorities don't have to call it a hate crime. they don't have to call it anything right now. what do you say to the people online saying why does it have to be about race? why can't it just be a crime? >> it has to do with a

america -- we don't want to name race. unfortunately it only seems to happen on the plaque sideblack side of things. >> we're color blind at the wrong times. >> exactly. i think if it happened in the lgbt spaces we'd be having a different conferring. if it happened in a synagogue we'd be having a different conversation. i think we have to think about that. >> a tough conversation series of them to have. i'm glad you're here with us. we are going to continue to watch this breaking inging news out of south carolina. nine people killed at this historic church in south carolina. we're going to tell you what we know about that gunman. ♪ don't let'em pick guitars and drive them old trucks ♪

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. we are following breaking news out of charleston south carolina nine people killed at a historic church in what local leaders call a hate crime. the fbi is now joining the investigation. officials releasing these issues of a suspected gunman who apparently went to a bible study group at the church and sat there for an hour before opening fire. police are trying to apprehend the suspect right now. there is an active manhunt underway. we have developments for you live from charleston. we will speak with the relatives

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. we do have breaking news this morning. a gunman opening fire inside an historic black church in charleston south carolina. nine people have lost their lives. they were there for a bible study class last night. insisting they will respond as a community of love and make sure that the murderer pays the price. >> please take a look at your screen right now. police are releasing this picture of the suspect. this is the clearest picture we have. this is the oldest ame church in the south. the pastor who is a state senator is among those who are killed this morning.

>> reporter: an active manhunt underway for this alleged shooter that left nine people dead in a mass shooting last night here in downtown charles on the. police have been saying they believe this gunman sat for an hour while a bible study session was underway. among the nine killed is a state senator, also a pastor here, clementa pinckney. he is the only confirmed casually so far. police chief here in charleston talked about what he knew. >> last night at approximately 9:05 we received a call for a shooting that occurred at the emmanuel a.m.e. church. police were immediately dispatched and arrived at that location. when we did, we initially