right now. thank you. >> i'm andrea mitchell in washington. and breaking news. the suspect in the church massacre in charleston 21-year-old dylann storm roof has been caught. >> we woke up today and the heart and soul of south carolina was broken. >> nine people gunned down in a sacred place, including the pastor. the reverend clement a pinckney prominent state senator and beloved community leader, talking about his church here two years ago. >> many of us don't see ourselves as just a place where we come and worship. but as a beacon and as a bearer of the culture and a bearer of what makes us a people. >> incredibly the gunman sat with the parishioners during

bible study, then opened fire. investigators are calling it a hate crime. >> i spoke with -- i'm one of the skur vooifer ersurvivors. she said he reloaded five different times. her son was trying to talk him out of doing that act of willing people. and he -- he just said, i have to do it. he said you rape our women and you've taken over our country. and you have to go. >> the church emanuel ame, known as mother emanuel, the south's oldest black congregation founded in 1816 burned down after a slave revolt in june of 1822. a sanctuary during the civil rights movement for leaders like dr. reverend martin luther king jr. right now in charleston a prayer vigil is about to get under way. just a few blocks away from the scene of the tragedy that has

shaken the city, indeed, a nation to its core. let's go right to msnbc's benji sarlon. benji, you've been there all night. the shooting in charleston wasn't an attack on this church alone. what can you tell us now? there's just been the news conference about the capture of this suspect? >> well, we have the news now that he was captured that it was in shelby north carolina which is a considerable distance. and now we were told earlier, a lot of people were questioning. if they had lost track of this subject how do we know where they're searching. they had been said there was wide spread cooperation up and down the region earlier today. and sure enough it paid dividends. the chief of police credited quote, unprecedented cooperation between local law enforcement, the fbi, state officials, with being able to apprehend the suspect at a traffic stop. some considerable distance from charleston. so now with that process as of mayor joe riley put it they can begin the process of our healing

together. it removes one of the most important barriers here which is that people were really dealing with this double blow of trying to come to terms with the pain of this tragedy while at the same time it not being over. the fear that this could happen again. especially pronounced in the faith community which is so strong here in charleston. leaders, not just christian leaders but muslim leaders as well terrified at the pros spelkt of something like this happening to them and whether they had to look every which way at whoever came into their mosque or synagogue or church. it was just a heartbreaking prospect. and so with that perhaps now the closure process can just at least begin. >> well, i'm not sure that there can ever be closure for something like this. i think eugene robinson is with us as well. eugene, you're from south carolina. >> uh-huh. >> this brings back every memory the memory of birmingham, the church bombings in 1963 the fact that mother emanuel, this historic church could be attacked in this fashion. >> yeah. andrea, this is -- i can't overstate the importance of this

chump to the church to the community and charleston. that's where my mother's side of the family came from. my great great grandfather had a blacksmith shop not far from where mother emanuel stands. it was, as you said an important church in -- back in slavery times and certainly during the civil rights movement. you know first, let's hope this is indeed over. it looks to have been a lone wolf attack. but, again, if as has been reported, the suspect was involved with white supremacist activities. you know, we can only hope and make sure that there is nothing more organized going on. i guess the second thing i would point out is how many times a does this have to happen? how many times do we have to have these mass shootings? the one thing that ties them all together is the gun. there's always the gun. >> i know we're hearing the sirens.

i'm not sure whether that's from your location eugene or from benji's. >> it's not from 23450i7bmine. >> i think it was from benji's, in south carolina. eugene if you could pick it up there with your thoughts about how many times we have to see this. i have to say that in terms of the gun reference, the most emotional recent massacre that i can think of is sandy spring that brings to mind -- >> sandy hook. >> sandy hook, rather that brings to find the motion of today and watching all night and of thinking about the history of south carolina and the history of church attacks. >> that's absolutely right. you know here there is the added component of race in this attack. but in terms of just the emotional shock, sandy hook aurora tucson virginia tech we can go on and on.

one of the saddest days of my life i spent in -- at virginia tech after that mass shooting rampage rampage. and again, we're going to be riveted by this disaster. it was an attack on the nation, in my view, not just on this one congregation. i'm sure president obama will have something to say at some point. i'm sure candidates for office will have various things to say. and we will all pay attention, but will we do anything about it? will we take any steps to make sure that there's not another mother emanuel, which i guess is going to be the catch phrase for this tragedy. >> and, eugene thanks for referencing that. we also have a picture up of the white house briefing room. the president was about to leave for the west coast and we know he has made several calls. he called nikki haley, he called the majorymayor, and we know he's going to be speaking in the

briefing room. we saw moments earlier the picture from shelby north carolina of that vehicle, the getaway car from the suspect. we saw the location wooded area where he was stopped. so we know that that at least, if this is indeed the only suspect, this was a very rapid response by a combination of law enforcement officials. pete williams is at the justice department. pete, we heard from loretta lynch earlier that this is indeed being investigated as hate crime which gave the force of the federal government to local authorities as they pursued the suspect. what do we know now from justice? >> of course the federal agencies were involved from the beginning anyway to assist the law enforcement folks. fbi, atf, other federal agencies u.s. marshal service were all involved very quickly. basically the justice department's investigation is a

parallel one that should be thought of as one that's kept in reserve. although the attorney general was careful to say that no decision had been made about how to prosecute, almost always in these cases the federal officials basically defer to the locals to carry out the prosecution. so now that there is a suspect, now that there is soon to be a defendant in this case almost certainly this will proceed as state prosecution. but we were here andrea at the justice department for a scheduled news conference about a massive health care fraud case. it started a little after 11:00. and at 11:27 an official of the fbi passed fbi director james comey a note and he passed it on to attorney general lynch and that was a note informing them that the suspect had been arrested. so when the news conference started at 11:10 he wasn't in custody. and the note of the word came here at 11:27 that he was in

custody. we're told that he was arrested in shelby which is about 250 miles from charleston. so it would be about a 4, 4 1/2 hour drive. so if this shooting happened at 9:00 last night, there was ample time to get away. we don't know what vehicle he was in but the word is that it was a traffic stop and if that's the case that he was driving his own car, of course that helps to explain how the arrest was made. he was identified quite early this morning. officials say that they -- by say, 8:30 9:00 they already had a number of potential subjects. they already had names that they were running down including his. and that's based, we're told on a number of factors. tips from the public tips from members of his family and also photographs of not only him but also his car and the car while the front of car was facing the

surveillance camera apparently the -- and in south carolina you're not required to have a license plate on the front or the back. there was some kind of distinctive image in that license plate holder in the front and that gave them something additional to check as they looked at social media photographs of their various subjects. and that played a role in this as well. but is a wealth of tips andrea because of this amazing surveillance video that they had, you know very obvious picture of who this person was. >> and, pete when they investigate further, i'm told that there were a number of things through social media on his jacket, the patches. one was well-known apartheid insignia from apartheid days in south africa. that needs to be checked out. but there were a number of, you know well-known white supremacists and separatists insignias that they can be pursuing. >> it would appear that he

wanted to be known. he made no effort to conceal himself. he parked his car at a place where it could be seen. he didn't make any attempts to disguise himself. so at least from just the bare facts of the case it would appear that he wanted to be known. if he allowed survivors to get out so they could talk about it all of those things put together it seems like he wanted to be known for this. >> and gene robinson is still with us. gene, you know this region so well and you've covered so much of the movement. with the arrest if this is the one person how does this community come together? >> well, that's a good question. you know first of all, charleston does have amazing leadership. mayor joe riley has been mayor for more than 40 years in charleston. he is beloved across town by black, white, hispanic.

charlestonians for having orchestrated really a renaissance of a city that have sort of fallen was slumping when he took office and now is this thriving striving place. and, you know he organizes every year a huge multi-day celebration of dr. king's birth. i spoke there a couple years ago. and just kind of witnessed how the city comes together. so i have no doubt that charleston can renew itself and can recover from this tragedy. of course it always takes time. and, of course never quite the same. something like this does, you know changes a place. and so, you know we'll have to see how it develops but what a disaster. we haven't even mentioned the fact that a state senator

clementa pinckney, a rising star in south carolina politics and a very charismatic and dynamic man in and around charleston, is apparently among the dead. >> and, yes, that was confirmed. pete williams, before i let you go, i know you've got to run, what is the process now of getting the suspect from north carolina to south carolina? does he get arraigned in north carolina? is there an extradition process? >> well, that is going to depend on whether right for the moment he's in federal or state custody. he's still in the state. so he's still in the jurisdiction of south carolina authorities. they don't need to have -- they can just bring him back as far as i understand in terms of the state law, they can just bring him right back to charleston. if he was in another state -- >> no he's -- >> he's in north carolina. >> he's in north carolina shelby north carolina. >> you're right. so they will probably have to have a court hearing.

a removal hearing. bring him before a local magistrate and then do a removal hearing to get him back, extradited would be the term get him back to south carolina. whether he's in state or federal court, that would be the same since he's in a different state. so that's the first thing, getting before a magistrate. but, you know it's unclear whether they're going to proceed with this in the initialle stages as a state or federal malt er matter. i would be very surprised if it's not a state prosecution. the state can pursue the maximum penalty. >> pete williams thank you very much. benji sarlon you've been up all night there watching how this community has grieved, the anger, the fear the outrage. there has to be some as you said some relief that the suspect has been caught. what happens next there as you monitor the streets in charleston? >> well, talking to people there was a lot of interest in the suspect being captured. first of all, just to relieve

everyone the threat is gone but also because people are truly grappling with why this happened, how this could happen were there any policies that could have prevented it. and on a very basic level, how could anyone allow this to happen, how could anyone be deranged enough to do three with something like this, so filled with hate. i think people will be very intrigued about what we learn from this suspect, what he learn about his motivations. i think we're going to hear a lot of that. one thing that really stood out to me was just how close knit it felt here between various different groups across class, across race. i think you really saw that personified in nikki haley's appearance, the governor at a press conference earlier. her voice was trembly, shaky certainly the most emotional i've ever seen her in covering politics for years. she had some quotes that were very, very raw. she said the heart and soul of south carolina was broken as she put it.

at one point she turned and said we are a strong and faithful state. we love our state. we love our country. most of all we love each other. that was the sentiment i heard expressed over and over from everyone from local politicians to faith leaders to individuals on the street. there was a real feeling of togetherness, that everyone felt so personally attacked. i believe at one point the police chief said in his very first press conference that they took this at tact personally. it wasn't investigating a crime, it felt like an attack on themselves. i think you saw that reflected up and down the chain at every level. i'm sure a lot of people are relieved to see this -- to be together as this comes to a manhunt. >> benji sarlin thanks. chris jansing who has been on this since 9:00 last night straight through the night and into the morning. chris, you're on the phone. you were at the news conference and just spoke to the mayor joe riley. >> i did. and he was emotional, as you can imagine. i've been in touch with him over the last oh, 12 hours or so. and you can just imagine the

level of tension in this community, the fear. there was a woman who was working at the hotel and she was saying that her husband worked the night shift and how afraid she was being home alone last night and how she stayed on the phone with her mother-in-law. and i just spoke also to a state lawmaker who was very close friends with the pastor who died and he said you know when i dropped my children off at summer camp today they asked me about this they had heard about it and seen it and i had to explain to them that there is evil in the world. and i think that the emotion and the exhaustion of what has been a very long night and morning showed on the faces of the people that were at the press conference and the people i spoke to. and they also know this community has a long way to go for healing. and the mayor, the police chief, nikki haley, they are all heading to one of five prayer

services that are being held across the state. >> and we see -- we saw pictures of them coming in into the front pew at one of the prayer services. we're also chris, awaiting the arrival in the briefing room moment daily we believe of president obama. you were down in south carolina to cover a jeb bush events which of course was canceled today and then swung in to duty on this. this incredible tragedy. one of the great losses of course is the pastor state senator clementa pinckney who was a rising star politically and a great pastor of this historic church. clearly you remembered by all down there, this struck down in his youth. >> i don't think it's an exaggeration to say that he was beloved. i mean this is a man who had worked extraordinarily hard for his community had really taken on the mantel in what was a historic church a place that

served as a place where in the underground railroad it was a place where the pulpit martin luther king spoke. a place of great history but made it very much an intimate part of this community. and i didn't go anywhere over the last almost -- well, day and a half -- day or so where people did not have a personal story about him and, you know it did -- the other thing that was pointed out at the press conference was that joe biden knew him and when he called the mayor, as the president did, you know there was this very obvious personal connection that he fills to this community having, of course just recently lost his son. obviously under extraordinarily different circumstances, but you could tell in speaking with the mayor how much those kinds of calls and offers of ongoing

assistance mean to a community at a time like this andrea. >> gene robinson one of the things that state senator pinckney did was to get the legislation through -- after the walter scott killing on body cameras for police. i should point out gene i may interrupt you because the president may be coming in moment daily. your final thoughts here. >> he did. as i said he was a rising stash in south carolina politics. i can understand the governor's emotion, as she spoke, because this is someone everybody knew. not just in charleston but also in the legislature in columbia and around the state. he had been at a meeting in columbia earlier in the day, i understand, actually on legislative business but had left early and had rushed home because he had to be at the church for a meeting about some church business and then to lead bible study. >> and here's the president with the vice president at his side.

thank you, eugene. >> this morning i spoke with and vice president biden spoke with mayor joe riley and other leaders of charleston to express our deep sorrow over the senseless murders that took place last night. michelle and i know several members of emanuel ame church. we knew their pastor reverend clementa pinckney who along with eight others gathered in prayer and fellowship and was murdered last night. and to say our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families and their community doesn't say enough to convey the heartache and the sadness and the anger that we feel. any death of this sort is a

tragedy tragedy. any shooting involving multiple victims is a tragedy. there is something particularly heartbreaking about a death happening in a place in which we seek solace and we seek peace, in a place of worship. mother emanuel is in fact more than a church. this is a place of worship that was founded by african-americans seeking liberty. this is a church that was burned to the ground because its worshippers worked to end slavery. when there were laws banning all black church gatherings they conducted services in secret. when there was a non-violent

movement to bring our country closer in line with our highest ideal, some of our brightest leaders spoke and led marches from this church's steps. this is a sacred place in the history of charleston and in the history of america. the fbi is now on the scene with local police and more of the bureau's best are on their way to join them. the attorney general announced plans for the fbi to open a hate crime investigation. we understand that the suspect is in custody, and i'll let the best of law enforcement do its work to make sure that justice is served. until the investigation is complete i'm necessarily constrained in terms of talking about the details of the case. but i don't need to be constrained about the emotions that tragedies like this raise. i've had to make statements like this too many times.

communities like this have had to endure tragedies like this too many times. we don't have all the facts but we do know that once again, innocent people were killed in part because someone who wanted to inflict harm had no trouble getting their hands on a gun. now is the time for mourning and for healing, but let's be clear, at some point we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries. it doesn't happen in other places with this kind of frequency. and it is in our power to do something about it. i say that recognizing the

politics in this town foreclose a lot of those avenues right now. but it would be wrong for us not to acknowledge it. and at some point it's going to be important for the american people to come to grips with it and for us to be able to shift how we think about the issue of gun violence collectively. the fact that this took place in a black church obviously raises questions about a dark part of our history. this is not the first time that black churches have been attacked, and we know that hatred across races and faiths pose a particular threat to our democracy and our ideals. the good news is i am confident that the outpouring of unity and

strength and fellowship and love across charleston today from all races, from all faiths from all places of worship indicates the degree to which those old ves vestages of hatred can be overcome. that certainly was dr. king's hope just over 50 years ago, after four little girls were killed in a bombing in a black church in birmingham alabama. he said they lived meaningful lives and they died nobly. they say to each of us dr. king said, black and white alike that we must substitute courage for caution, they say to us that we must be concerned not merely with who murdered them but about the system, the way of life the philosophy which produced the murders. their death says to us that we must work passionately and

unrelentingly for the realization of the american dream. and if one will hold on he will discover that god walks with him and that god is able to lift you from the fatigue of despair to the buoyancy of hope and transform dark and desolate valleys into sunlit paths of inner peace. reverend pinckney and his congregation understood that spirit. their christian faith compelled them to reach out not just to members of their congregation or to members of their own communities, but to all in need. they opened their doors to strangers who might enter a search in search of healing or redemption. mother emanuel church and its

congregation has risen before from flames from an earthquake from other dark times to give hope to generations of charlestonians and with our prayers and our love and the buoyancy of hope it will rise again now as a place of peace. thank you. >> and the president paying tribute to the reverend pinckney quoting martin luther king jr. saying once again, a black church has been attacked that this recalls a dark chapter in our history, but also saying that this is another time when he's had to make a statement about gun violence and that we have to deal with the political reality that this does not happen in other advanced countries. craig melvin is in south carolina, in charleston south carolina. craig, this is another moment where president obama has had to address the ravages of gun violence in our country. >> you know andrea we were

trying to. count the number of times, or we've, you know had conversations like this on our air and we've stopped at five. i mean you think obviously you think about tucson and you think about newtown and you think about ft. hood you think about aurora and the list goes on. that will be part of the conversation i'm sure for the next few days. i can tell you a little bit more about reverend pinckney the president knew him and so did i. i worked in local news here in south carolina for a number of years. and he was a state house member back then. he was in the lower chamber. he was in the house. in fact, reverend pinckney was elected at the age of 23. when he was elected he was the youngest member to ever serve in the south carolina house of representatives. before that he was an intern and congressman jim clyburn's office. years later he would have of course become elected to the state senate in the palmetto state as well. but pinckney over the last few weeks had been making a lot of

headlines down here because he had become a very outspoken advocate for a bill that was introduced in the wake of the walter scott shooting. a bill that would have required police officers here to wear body cameras. he spent a fair amount of time talking about that but he saw public service very much as a calling and his ministry was an extension of that public service. he would say that on a regular basis. but the church where he was a pastor long before he was there, that church is the president indicated not nearly a church but very much a symbol here in charleston a symbol for the black community especially the church itself burned to the ground more than 150 years ago. it was rebuilt. i've talked to church leaders this morning who have indicated they planned to bounce back from this as well, but this is in addition to being the oldest ame church in the southern part of this country. one of the oldest in the world. this is the church where during

the '50s and '60s and '70s civil rights leaders would frequently meet here and plan marches and plan rallies. coretta scott king back in 1969 held a very famous meeting here. this is the church where politicians who want to be president, this is the church where they all come. clementa pinckney will be sorely missed by this community. a father of two, two girls. he was just 41 years old. in addition to pinckney of course eight others also killed inside that church last night. six women, three men, a 21 21-year-old has been taken into custody in shelby, north carolina. shelby shelby,n't about four hours north of where we are right now. i can tell you that we know the suspect does have a record. i talked to a law enforcement source a short time ago. he has a drug charge. he also has a trespassing charge as well. keep in mind he's just 21. we expect to learn a lot more about the suspect over the next few hours as well.

he is i'm told also going to be extra indicted -- excuse me is in the process of being extradited back here immediately. there is a vigil that is happening right now i am told at the church where the vigil is happening. it's packed. it's standing room only. as you can tell it is very hot here in charleston. that has not stopped folks from lining the walls of that church here andrea. >> craig, that is so profoundly moving. your connection to him. thank you so much for that. and you mentioned that jim clyburn, that he worked for jim clyburn and got his start with him. congressman clyburn is speaking now at the community service. let's see if we can hear some of that. >> time is never wrong. time is always what we make it. and he said to them in that letter, i want to say to you today, he said to them that he was coming to the conclusion that the people of ill will in our society make a much better

use of time than the people of good will. and then he admonished us to we are going to be made to repent in this generation not just for the deeds and words of bad people but for the appalling silence of good people. i come today -- [ applause ] i come here today to beg you, when you leave these hallowed halls and go back to your respective communities, wherever they may be please break your silence. speak up. we cannot -- [ applause ]

we cannot -- if we stay silent they will win. they must not win. >> and we see that representative clyburn appealing to people not to be silent not to let these others win. that if we stay silent they win. craig melvin outside the church there. let's talk about the community leaders. gene robinson was talking about the extraordinary leadership of mayor riley, for four decades the mayor there. you've got white leadership and black leadership in this community that have worked together and worked very differently than in other parts of south carolina and indeed the south. >> joe riley, andrea the

longest serving mayor in america right now. he is literally been the mayor of charleston my entire life. you would be hard pressed to find someone more popular because of what you just mentioned. his ability, his willingness to reach across not just party lines but racial lines as well. folks who don't know about this part of south carolina charleston, it's the tourist capital of the state, the crown jewel of the palmetto state. but it is also quite segregated. by that i mean you have charleston proper. you have the charleston featured in the magazines and on television. but you also have north charleston wowyou also have some very thick deep pockets of poverty here as well. the mayor spent a lot of time over the past few decades trying to bridge those gaps. keep in mind that this is also the same community that about a month ago and i would have to look at a calendar, but the same

community that was reeling after the walter scott shooting. that shooting was 3 1/2, 4 miles from where i stand right now in north charleston. city leaders, as you know right after that right after that shooting made it a point to get out in front of it to try and prevent a civil unrest and were successful at doing that. and the sense i've gotten from community leaders and just regular people as well who stopped by our camera this morning, the sense i've gotten is that this is going to be something else that this community deals with and grows from. but this is not going to be something that manages to tear apart charleston. going back several years ago, i believe seven years ago and i believe the anniversary, if not yesterday, the day before, there was that i'm sure you remember there was that awful fire in charleston as well. the city of charleston lost roughly a dozen firefighters.

that was another major event that this city used to grow. so i expect and i think what we just heard there from the congressman and from some of the other speakers in that church i think that what we are going to see over the next few days is that they'll mourn the lives lost and then they'll figure out how to move on and how to grow from all of this? >> craig thanks so much. i know you're going to stay on the phone. joining me is south carolina congressman former governor mark sanford. governor congressman sanford, we've been talking about the leadership, white and black. one of your successor, governor haley, was emotional today, was called by the president and the vice president. we've seen what in community has suffered in the past. how does the community respond to this kind of tragedy? >> i think as it has, which is with a fair degree of

introspection, with a whole lot of grace and with a commitment to continuing this process of bettering relations, whether it's it white between white, black between black, white between blacks i think that's ultimately a testament not just to community leadership but to the people themselves. i mean i think that what stood out in the wake of the walter scott shooting was his mom saying immediately in the aftermath, i forgive this person. as i dad, i can't imagine doing so. but that's what the mom was saying on national television. those kinds of words have an affect. >> what about what the president said about gun violence that all too often he has had to speak out in the aftermath of this kind of gun violence? i know there's a very strong gun ownership and gun sales tradition in south carolina and much of the country. but will that ever be rethought

after this kind of tragedy? >> you know, andrea i don't know. i think that both sides take any incident and pull it in their direction. this one is curtailing the number of guns. you're going to use this as a case in point. if you've got another vantage point you take something else from it. i think every -- advocates are advocates. but i think that what you would have to say is this is highly weird, highly unusual, incredibly tragic that come sid gets in his car, drives 100 miles down the road goes to a little local church is accepted into that church though he is of a different racial origin is in that service for about an hour and then decides to shoot everybody. i mean that's like crazy. so you know irregardless of the debate on guns no gun, et cetera, i think what we're dealing with here is a crazy person and i cannot imagine this level of malice but we saw it

displayed last night. >> the question always occurs, how does a crazy person getting access to guns and what about background checks and the questions that need to be asked before people have lethal weapons. but i take your point. i know there's going to be a lot of political disagreement about this. thank you, congressman. >> my pleasure. and we're learning more about one of the victims of last night's shooting. tawanza sanders was a 2014 business school graduate of allen university in columbia south carolina. he was said to have a warm and helpful spirit. he was known as quiet student committed to his education. he was taking part in the bible study session when his life was needlessly taken. our condolences to all of the victims' families. we'll continue to follow of course, the latest from south carolina, from charleston with our whole team of coverage. craig melvin of course, and he will be anchoring coming up a native of charleston south carolina. we will be back in a moment.

>> i am very very pleased to announce that we have made an arrest in this case. we have arrested dylann roof 30 minutes ago in shelby, north carolina during a traffic stop. i cannot say how thankful i am and how appreciative i am of all the people who came together during a very tragic situation. superpower. surprised? in fact, america is now the world's number one natural gas producer... and we could soon become number one in oil. because hydraulic fracturing technology is safely recovering lots more oil and natural gas. supporting millions of new jobs. billions in tax revenue... and a new century of american energy security. the new energy superpower? it's red, white and blue. log on to learn more. ♪ ♪ time upon a once people approached problems the way same.

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well as political leader community leader. i'm not sure that -- i'm not sure that the ledge lay or can hear me so we will come back to that in a moment. right now joining me is the former naacp president, five-term maryland congressman. quasi-it's good to see you again. and again on a day of tremendous tragedy. let's talk about the church and the role of the church in the civil rights movement and this church in particular and what this incredible massacre means to the people of charleston and the people of the country. >> thank you, andrea i appreciate it. it's kind of hard for all of us to put this in proper perspective because it's so fluid. the one thing that is not fluid is that it seems to be part of a continuum of ongoing violence that has permeated our culture.

we find all the same words that it's unfathomable unconscionable unexcusable, unbelievable and yet it's still with us. in this instance it's emanating from a strange juks position where you have people who have come together to worship and to praise god and there's somebodying with their midst the whole time planning to kill all of them. it reminds me of the 1974 when a gunman went into dr. king's parents church and sat there and sat there and then pulled out two guns and killed dr. king's mother and deacon and shot several other people. and you wonder what causes this kind of hatred and what causes this kind of a spirit. because it really is hate. at the end of the day whether it's a black gunman shooting a white group or white gunman shooting a black group or jews being set upon by hate mongers, it's all wrong. it is absolutely wrong. so i don't know that any of us right now, because this is so fresh, can do anything except

pray for this family and all the other families there who have a tremendous sense of loss that none of us can imagine at this moment. >> the president trying to come to grips with it again in the white house briefing room within the hour speaking about the role of guns in our society. let's watch. >> i've had to make statements like this too many times, we've had to endure tragedies like this too many times. we don't have all the facts but we do know that once again innocent people were killed in part because someone who wanted to inflict harm had no trouble getting their hands on a gun. now is the time for mourning and for healing. but let's be clear, at some point we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not have in other advanced countries.

>> it is a question. you know from being in politics and from being in the leadership of the naacp how fraut this is and after what happened in connecticut with the kindergartens and massacres repeatedly virginia tech we can't seem to come to grips with this. >> we can't. i worked for years with sarah brady who passed away not too long ago and her desire on behalf of her late husband to bring about background checks in the brady bill and making it harder for criminals to make it harder to get guns. unless we ban guns all together from our society, which i don't believe this society is going to do, people who want to do bad things will find some sort of way to get ahold of a gun. this is really unfortunate. then it begs the question okay if that is the case how do we find a way to protect individuals who are innocent. that's difficult nep public assemblies like a church or a mall or a movie theaters. and i hear the president's

frustration. he has had in the last seven years to come out time and time again on matters like this. there's legislation obviously can be passed but the end of the day we've got to find a way to reach people at early ables and to deal with sick behavior wherever we see it and to find a way to incarriages a jim clyburn said, those good people not to be violent, to speak out and to continue to reach out and to recognize that at the end of the day we really are in this together and there's no real way we're going to get out of it. i tell you, andrea it burns my heart to just know and it pains me that this will end and a few months from now or a year from now this conversation will happen again and good people are going through a terrible time trying to understand what sickness is pervading our society in such a way that these things continue to happen. >> we can't give up hope that people like you, good people in communities around the country

come together to look for solutions to the mental health aspects of all of this. thank you very much. former congressman mfume from baltimore baltimore. and i'm joined by peter mccoy. i apologize that we had our communication difficulties but i was trying to ask you about your friend about the state senator who was a community leader who you worked with so closely in charleston. >> and andrea, thank you for having me on the show. i have to say that charleston has suffered a massive loss. suffered the naszmassive loss of an icon. everybody in this town everybody in his senate district looked up to. he was a man of absolute moral fiber. the highest honor and highest integrity you can find and he was a mentor to me as a young ledge lay orgislateor legislator. he's going to be sorely missed. >> tell me about these two roles. he's a community leader, he's a pastor, he's a state senator. did he see himself as the pastor

of the flock more than you think the legislator or did all of those roles work well for him together? >> the beauty of senator pinckney is that all of those roles definitely rolled well together for him. he was a man of faith. it showed in the votes that he took in columbia. it showed in how he worked with people on the street. and he worked with the people in this community. and he is an absolute icon again, and we are just devastated by the loss. >> and tell me about his family. i know he has two daughters. >> he does. he has two daughters. i've spoken to his family. two daughters. 41 years old. he came into the south carolina legislator at the yun age of 23 years old. he's been in there for almost 20 years. again, he's just an absolute magnificent man. what's happened here in charleston is a tragedy. i'm competent in the law enforcement here. i'll competent in the leaders

here. i'm confident the city will come together and it will only make us stronger here. what happened here is completely uncharacteristic and i'm so glad that the authorities have apprehended this young man and taken him into custody. >> from what you know is this the end of the issue? i mean was this a lone wolf gunman? do you know that whether or not the authorities think that anyone else could have been involved? >> from what i'm hearing, from my sources, i don't see or have known of anybody else that could have been involved in this. but this young man got off the peninsula relatively quickly. it would be hard to see how he did act alone in that instance. but i have the utmost faith in chief mullen and our sill loss citieser skarl lot citieser scar lot wilson and law enforcement officers to fully investigate this. >> our condolences, the loss of your friend. the community is suffering. thanks very much for speaking was today.

>> andrea thank you so much. i ask that you continue to pray for charleston and thank you for your time today. >> we will indeed. we have new information now on the arrest of dylann roof the suspect in the church massacre in charleston. law enforcement sources tell us that the suspect was pulled over during a routine traffic stop in shelby north carolina. he did not resist arrest. unclear if anyone else was in the car. just about anywhere you use sugar, you can use splenda®... ...no calorie sweetener. splenda® lets you experience... ...the joy of sugar... ...without all the calories. think sugar, say splenda®

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at moments like this we all have to look into our hearts and hope that we and our leaders can pull this nation together. we grieve for charleston south carolina and for those whom they've lost. that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." our continuing coverage of the charleston church shooting continues with craig melvin. >> we woke up today and the heart and soul of south carolina was broken.

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we woke up today and the heart and soul of south carolina was broken. >> heavy emotions coming from the governor of south carolina just a few moments ago. those sentiments from governor nikki haley being felt by everyone here in this community hours after a gunman opens fire in a church killing nine people six women, three men. good thursday to you. i'm craig melvin to you'll live from charleston, south carolina. we are continuing our special coverage here on msnbc. just a few moments ago i spoke with a law enforcement source who gave me just a bit more information regarding the circumstances under which the 21-year-old was taken in to custody. we're told that he was taken into custody during a