america mourns the nine lives lost during a prayer service at emanuel a.m.e.h. >>> a story of survival that's made national headlines the last year. jim kelly talks about his battle with cancer, fatherhood and what it means to be kelly tough. as far as the weekend goes, what's cook something. >> mike will be back so we'll have the latest news headlines and i'm going to be tracking the remnants of who what was tropical storm bill finally making its way into the area so we'll see what that does to your father's day plans. >>> we'll be back in 25 minutes with traffic and wet gler be sure to download -- weather. >> be sure to download the wusa9 app. >> because? >> the app is where it's at good have a great weekend. happy father's day to all of what's happened to snacking? how did it become absent-mindedly eating one after the next, after the next? so predictable and so unsatisfying? what about pulling up a chair, a stool, a beanbag, and actually tasting our food. we are a creamy cheese that still believes in the beauty of a knife, in the elegant swipe of a . . . s

it took place at the emanuel a.m.e. church. this is the largest african-american congregation and oldest congregation south of baltimore. >> this is a tragedy that no community should have to experience. it is senseless and 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. i can assure you we will do everything in our power to find this individual to lock him up and make sure that he does not hurt anyone else. >> let's go live to charleston and bring in producer ashley killough. we know it is 7:00 a.m. when the next briefing will happen by officials. bring us up to speed on what you are seeing there now, ashley. >> reporter: christine, the latest we have heard was about an hour ago. the charleston police department said they are still looking for the suspect. there haven't been any updates overnight as to his whereabouts or where they are conducting the search. we hope to get more information in the press conference in a couple of hours. we

it took place at the emanuel a.m.e. church. this is one of the best known church. >> this is a tragedy no community should experience. it is senseless. it is unfathomable that somebody would walk into a church in today's society when people are having a prayer meeting and take their lives. i can assure you we will do everything in our power to find this individual to lock him up and make sure that he does not hurt anyone else. >> let's go live to charleston and bring in our producer ashley killough. she joins us from the phone. when you hear people on the scene, it is like no one can keep from breaking up. it is a sad story. tell us what we know now about the drag net and the search for the killer, ashley. >> reporter: we are still waiting to get more information about how exactly they're trying to find the suspect. so far, they only released a description of him. young white male in his early 20s. they described the clothes he was wearing. they are having the public to be on the lookout and call in if they see someone who matc

strangers embraced each other outsides the emanuel a.m.e. church. >> god bless you. >> thank you so much. >> reporter: carol ellerbee said she came here to show love and support. >> to give me some type of closure. we'll never understand why this happened. >> reporter: nine people were killed during a bible study wednesday night, including the pastor, state senator clementa pinckney. dylann roof has been charged with nine counts of murder and possession after weapon. the 21-year-old made incriminating statements when arrested. a friend says roof often talked about hurting people. >> he told me he -- i mean, that the black people were taking over the country and that the -- that he wanted it to be segregation. >> reporter: investigators are looking into whether the shooting rampage at this historic church should be prosecuted as a hate crime. there are also calls for south carolina to stop flying the confederate flag good while a lot of issues are going to come up, my job as governor is to bring everybody back together. we've got to heal. >>

these nine families need us the emanuel a.m.e. church needs us, the a.m.e.ople of south carolina need us to come together and be strong for what has happened. >>> powerful moment. john you've been speaking with members of the community there in charleston south carolina all day. how are they dealing? how are they opening with this horrific act of terrorism? >> reporter: i've got to say, jake the range of emotion i have seen has been remarkable. ironic that -- people were genuinely afraid. there was a killer on the loose, a person who targeted a black church. there are so many african-american churches in this community that people were frankly afraid then there was a great deal of satisfaction. i saw someone high-five the sheriff when they learned this man was caught in shelby north carolina satisfaction that the law enforcement community worked together to find him. but more than anything, just shock, disbelief and grief, pure brief. there were nine people killed behind me at mother emanuel, the emanuel a.m.e. church. four of them were religious lead e. inc

the emanuel a.m.e. church needs us. the a.m.e. church family needs us. and the people of south carolina need us to come together and be strong for what has happened. i want you to know the outpouring of emotion from across this country has been overwhelming. from presidential candidates to citizens who just traveled through the state, to any person in any walk of life. every single person has had to put their feet in the shoes of one of those nine families today. and they all know what that felt like. so with that, where do we go from here? we allow ourselves to grieve. we allow ourselves to pray. we allow ourselves to question why this happened and then allow ourselves to heal. so, the healing process will start. we are so thankful to chief mullen and his team and law enforcement, with fbi, with everybody that came together. that refused to allow this to happen. i've never seen when we were going through the command center such compassion and personal willingness to make sure they brought this person home. we can now tell our children that person is in

but right now, what we want to do is focus on our emanuel a.m.e. family as we get through this crisis and heal and forgive. so under no circumstances at least as a member of the emanuel church, are we going to engage in politicizing the death of nine of our parishioners of which we now have to plan for nine funerals. so we will have a lot of time after we bury our dead to deal with the political issues that you just questioned me on. >> sreenivasan: so yesterday one of the most moving things i think for anyone watching in the country was listening to the audio of family members looking at the person or the suspect who could have taken the looifs of their family members and forgiving them. i mean, just the power of witnessing and hearing someone forgive. what went through your mind? these are-- these are fellow parishioners and members of your community. >> and i was not shocked at all because mother emanuel a.m.e. church is a forgiving body. we know early on that if you fight hate with hate, then you also have failed. you have to fight hate with lov

police say he shot and killed nine black commissioners at the emanuel a.m.e. church and may face hate crime charges. robert ray joins us from charleston. what has been the reaction to dylann roof's arrest. people are happy he's back in south carolina and he'll have a bond hearing at 2:00 pm. justice will move forward. a lot of people gathering in front of the church pop up vigils, conversations on the streets about what went wrong, how this could happen again in the united states and how we move forward as a country. >> i am very very pleased to announce that we have made an arrest in this case we arrested dylann roof from lexington south carolina. >> it took authorities 14 hours to track down the 21-year-old man suspected of opening fire inside the historic emanuel a.m.e. church near charleston's main square. police say officers picked him up during a traffic stop in north carolina. >> that awful person, that terrible human being who would go into a place of worship where people were praying, and kill them is now in custody where he will always remain. >> rep

bible study will resume today at emanuel a.m.e. church. >> in the aftermath of the shooting, the discussion has turned to the status of the confederate flag in the south. florida, mississippi georgia south carolina, and louisiana all have laws banning the did he say creation of that flag. many residents in those states feel the flag doesn't represent them. the shooting in charleston has brought the debate over the flag back into the national spotlight. >> these cannons in a charles stop park honors a city's role in a war that divided the nation. it is a part of the history and d.n.a. some say it's time to leave the past behind. >> that flag does not represent the black culture. >> charleston native we've baskets on the street. while they say the war is part of charleston's rich history they think the confederate flag is hurtful andy vicive. >> it means like savory to me, and, you know, we are still being oppressed by that flag, and it's not representing us at all. >> it is kind of hurtful when i think about all the negative activit

more than 1,000 people crowded in and around emanuel a.m.e. church monday. the church, known as mother emanuel opened its doors for the first services since the attack. thousands marched for peace and solidarity. jonathan martin is live in charleston. the service and march came on father's day. >> i sat inside during the service and certainly it was tough for a lot of the members and ministers to get through but they pushed through. this day ended yesterday with a really strong show of solidarity with all of those people marching and joining hands across charleston's famous bridge, a sign of peace and solidarity. officials expect 3,000 people to know up. when the day was done, some 10,000 people showed up there in peace. they reopened four days after the mass killing here. one minister told me, they had to reopen these doors because with all of the media here and all of the visitors here, they have to show the world just how strong their faith really is. >> determined not to let fear and anger outweigh their faith. >> i felt like i really needed to come out t

police believe the shooting at the historic emanuel a.m.e.te crime. >>> politicians have rejected a proposal that would see voters elect their new leader in 2017 from candidates approved by beijing. >>> dozens are reported to have been killed in a series of car bombings in yemen's capital sanaa, the attacks targeted mosques near houthi rebel headquarters a group affiliating with isil has claimed response. >>> france's finance minister says it would be a catastrophe for greece in it leaves the euro. the stalemate only greece's financial crisis continues as finance minute officers from the euro zone gather in luck up board for another round of meetings. from an he had john entry we have a report. >> reporter: this woman boiled it down to one word, no. >> translator: i say no to those blackmailing us, i say no to my country being sold piecemeal. at this point as it is, clean whole and, with its history. even if it means leaching the euro. >> translator: i want to tell my prime minister what we fear is a possible retreat. we are prepared even for

known as the heart of the community. >> this is the most unspeakable tragedy in historic emanuel a.m.e. church. mother church of the a.m.e. churches. people in prayer on a wednesday evening. a ritual of coming together and praying and worshipping god to have a awful person come in and shoot them is inexplicable. obviously the most intolerable and unbelievable act possible. >> this is a terrible tragedy for charleston. the entire city, not just the african-american community. of course, south carolina is the site of a lot of politics. a lot of people campaign in south carolina. hillary clinton was in charleston yesterday. jeb bush was due to hold a meeting down the street from the church. the place where he was to hold the campaign event is now the command center for police there. jeb bush has canceled his event in south carolina today. >> wednesday night bible study and prayer meetings are routine. a safe middle of the week way to recharge as you go on with your lives. these people were in this conference room in this church together worshipping and recharging about their religion. thi

where police say shortly after 9:00 in this church behind me emanuel a.m.e. mother emanuel as it's called is accused of opening fire after a bible study class of prayer service, killing nine people six women, three men, and what many are now calling a hate crime. tonight the first glimpse of the alleged gunman. authorities transporting 21-year-old dylann roof shortly after his capture. >> a terrible human being, who would go into a place of worship where people were praying and kill them, is now in custody. >> reporter: he was nabbed in north carolina about 250 miles from charleston in the emanuel a.m.e. church less than 24 hours after the shooting. police were tipped off by a citizen after a huge manhunt. >> ems command page active shooter, multiple people down. >> reporter: police say the shooter spent almost an hour inside the church with a dozen others attending a bible study class before he pulled out his weapon. sources say it may have been a handgun given to him business his father as a birthday gift. according to witnesses, the gunman said he was there

we want to leave you inside emanuel a.m.e. church as hundreds came together to pray today for the nine victims. >> baltimore's sandtown neighborhood. the heart of west baltimore, and one of the city's poorest areas. this is where freddie gray grew up -- known to friends as pepper. >> why was his nickname pepper? >> i never heard of pepper being bad for nobody, salt is bad for you, salt will kill you.

a day of mourning in charleston, south carolina as pastor of emanuel a.m.e. church is set to be laid to rest. president obama will deliver the eulogy. first lady and vice president and his wife are also attending. >> morgan radford is live. thousands are expected to pack the arena for the ceremony, i hear. >> that's right. in fact, john, hundreds of people are already lined up outside of the arena where that service will happen at 11:00 a.m. what's interesting is the way the community has come together to really make sure that everyone can watch that service. all three local news stations will be showing it in its entirety and local businesses and homes have been opening up just to make sure people can watch it for free. yesterday, everyone was coming up to our crew asking when is the president coming. his motorcade is expected at 1:00 this afternoon and his remarks according to the white house will focus on not only remembering, but celebrating reverend pinckney's live. >> she was a victim of hate and she can be a symbol for love. that's what she was in life

the church service at the emanuel a.m.e. church in charleston comes after the man accused of killing nine people face adjudge for the first time. dylann roof is also facing a federal investigation into whether the attract was an act of terrorism. brad bell is leading the coverage. he is live in charleston with how people are responding with love to this violent act. brad? brad: maureen, you put it exactly right. you heard this young man today. we heard his voice and we heard him speak. but that voice is drowned out by the victims' families talking about love and forgiveness and unity. dylann roof appeared in court wearing prison gear answered the judge's questions quietly. >> you're unemployed at this time? >> yes, sir. brad: an extraordinary thing. south carolina at bond reviews member of victims' families are allowed to speak. several did. all offered forgiveness. >> may god have mercy on you. brad: at the scene of the crime, people from charleston and elsewhere bringing flowers to lay in front of the emanuel a.m.e. church

seeing our coverage today of what's happening at emanuel a.m.e.raging. but the reality is alex is that because the way in which we cover these things and we take a look at all these issues as they crop up, you start to see the patterns and you see the sort of ways in which the shooting this past week is connected to other iterations of white supremacy and structural racism in our society. this shooting became overwhelming for me in that particular moment. i vacation in charleston a lot. i've done research there. i love charleston south carolina. it is a beautiful city. there with the tony morrison society when they placed the bench right there. there's all these tremendous historical sites. i love south carolina. i do. i understand its history and i understand the impolice sitlis implicit racialized atmosphere. to think of that carnage so violently pronounced there it was hard to wrestle with every o the course of the weekend. i got to be honest i am still wrestling with it. >> senator, you hear james talk about charleston and its beauty and histo

sam: like the emanuel a.m.e. church in charleston metropolitan a.m.e. church has ties and they came here to share the sister church's pain. hundreds packed in the church for a noontime prayer vigil. >> good morning. welcome. >> good morning. sam: a security guard greeted them for a noontime prayer vigil and they came in droves of the various racial hughs and various religious backgrounds. a collective outrage and sorrow over what happened at metropolitan sister church in charleston, emanuel a.m.e. church. >> we pray for a church who had been a target. >> inside they prayed they sang. they cried. and hold hands. they berated through the sanctuary with pictures of the mine who were killed and denounced what seemed to some an endless cycle of violence. >> is there no position? >> they sang the african-american national anthem as they call for an examination of what could cause so much hate. >> what environment created such intensity, that should be the series of next steps. what do we need to do next that is what we should concentrate on. >> her close frie

now emanuel a.m.e.esilience in the face of racial injustice, something that black churches have been called on to do far too often. in 1963 church bombing that killed four young black girls, and the rash of church burngs in the 1990s. they tell you to pray. in a moment like this but praying is what was happening in the church when the nine lives were taken and so i have been left wondering what am i supposed to pray? >> we can pray with our eyes open and on our feet. when we think about the history of african-american churches they were actually birthed in secret. they were not allowed enslaved men and women were often not allowed to worship or if they were allowed to worship sometimes they had to sit at the back of the church or had to sit in the galley or had to sit in the balcony. they sometimes could not even receive communion. so to be born out of that as a protest against segregation, against dehumanization, african-american men and women in these historically black churches have been praying this

hundreds of peep black and white filled the pews of emanuel a.m.e. church sunday. we have more on that. >> reporter: it was the fiery prayer for unity. >> someone wanted to divide the race black and white and brown but -- [indiscernible] >> reporter: thousands of people flooded into emanuel a.m.e. sanctuary while police searched bags and patrolled the grounds. >> no evil doer, no demon in hell or on earth. >> reporter: inside reverend goth delivered a sermon of remembrance and forgiveness but also of action. >> we're going to pursue justice. and we're going to be vigilant and we are going to hold our elected officials and others accountable to do the right thing. >> reporter: for almost two hours, friends, strangers, black and white consoled one another. >> we're not broken by any means. >> reporter: politicians mixed with parishioners. south carolina governor nikki haley, senator tim scott and joe riley joined the mourners. >> if that guy thought he was going to do something to divide races, it had the exact opposite effect. >> reporter: across charleston, church

. >> worshipers are back in the emanuel a.m.e. church in the u.s. state of south carolina. it is the first time the church has reopened its doors since the gunman killed the pastor and eight others in the city of charleston. police are now investigating if there is a link between the gunman and a racist manifesto found on line. large crowds were cueing up outside the church long before it opened. of course nine african-americans gunned down in the church. this is the first service since the shooting. huge emotions, of course, relatives for gave the gunman who was allegedly responsible the shooting the worst attack on a u.s. place of worship in decades. as you can see the community really binding together in an effort to deal with this very difficult tragedy that took place during the week. it's opened up plenty of emotions and revealed that race remains a deep fault line in america. president obama saying that the u.s. should closely examine its gun laws. let's speak to our correspondent outside the church as that service is going on. it's really brought the community toget

. >>> another victim of the murders at the emanuel a.m.e.h in charleston is being remembered, a memorial taking place for reverend daniel lee sem onward he was 74. a funeral service planned for thursday in colombia. he was one of in my opinion shot and killed at emanuel a.m.e. two weeks ago. >> 12 workers at a northern new york prison have been put on leaf -- leave over the escape of two inmates two members of the executive team nine staff. fellow escape richard mat was shot and killed by police on friday. >>> u.s.s. supreme court blocked a texas law creating strict standard for the state's abortion laws which would have forced two third of those clinics to close it woke. heidi zhou-castro has more. >> reporter: in the middle of our interview, inside a busy texas abortion clinic preparing to close wednesday. >> that's 40 patients that would be on a 2-week clinic >> reporter: came news of an order allowing this clinic and 18 others left in texas to stay open. >> i'm very excited. i'm trying to hold my tears in. i'm superexcited we are here an

police say he opened fire during bible study at emanuel a.m.e. church.he was at that prayer meeting for about an hour before he started shooting they say. the pastor of the church was killed and his wife and child who survived were just feet away in the church office when the shooting took place. mother bethel a.m.e. in philadelphia's society hill neighborhood is the sister church of emanuel a.m.e. in charleston. the african methodist episcopal church was founded in philadelphia in the late 1800s. coverage of the church massacre in south carolina continues on "nbc nightly news" ahead at 6:30 tonight. >>> here at home amazon unveils a new nerve center in new jersey that will bring jobs to the area and bring local customers their deliveries faster. the new facility in robbinsville mercer county covers more than a million square feet and employs thousands of local workers. the fulfillment center features 14 miles of conveyor belts and uses robots to do some of the heavy lifting. officials also say the robbins robbinsville location is ideal because about 40%

hours earlier he walked into the it prayer meeting at the emanuel a.m.e. church sat with black parishioners for nearly an hour before shooting and killing nine before fleeing. federal and state officials are investigating the shooting as a hate crime. al jazeera's rob mcrae joins us from charleston. >> evening. the suspect is in custody. fbi flew him here to charleston earlier today from north carolina. he has a bond hearing at 2:00 pm tomorrow. in the meantime you can see a lot of people gathering throughout the night in front of the church where the nine people were murdered a little over 24 hours ago. a stream of individuals, some talking about exactly what the issues are, racism, gun control. many discussions on the streets. earlier we had a woman with bagpipes showing her report. the streets went silent after she ended her talent. we are taking it in here. it's a sad moment in charleston and another moment of reflection where america has to dig in and figure out what need to change so this doesn't happen again. we are told that the suspect's room-mate

obama praised clementa pinckney, the slain pastor of the emanuel a.m.e.h in charleston, south carolina. and jeff pegues was there. >> what a good man. you preacher by 13. pastor by 18. public servant by 23. what a life clementa pinckney lived. to the families of the fallen, the nation shares in your grief. our pain cut that much deeper because it happened in a church. the church is and always has been the center of african american life. ( applause ) >> that's right. >> a place to call our own in a too-often hostile world a sanctuary from so many hardships. >> reporter: the president said the killer knew the meaning of attacking a church. >> it was an act that drew on a long history of bombs and arson and shots fired at churches. >> amen. >> not random. but as a means of control. >> amen. >> a way to terrorize and oppress. >> reporter: that oppression, mr. obama said, persists today. >> maybe we now realize the way racial bias can infect us, even when we don't realize it. so that we're guarding against not just racial slurs but we're also guarding against

you spend one minute outside of emanuel a.m.e. front of the people who pray the people who come from all across the country to pay their respects in a kind of pilgrimage. if only we could all live as we feel in the shadow of emanuel a.m.e. church. >> thanks to you both. >>> the next hour of cnn "newsroom" starts now. >>> this is cnn breaking news. >>> all right breaking news to tell about right now. we're following a string of terrorist attacks across europe north africa and the middle east. in france two people in custody now after an attack at a u.s.-based company's factory. reports one person was decapitated, their head placed on the front gate. in tunisia, north africa 27 dead at a

we're a family. >> reporter: and the street in front of emanuel a.m.e. church has been blocked so that hundreds of mourners can pay their respects to the reverend and senator clementa pinckney. scott, the reverend's funeral is tomorrow. >> pelley: michelle miller reporting for us in charleston. michelle, thank you. at least four major wildfires are burning tonight in california. drought and strong winds are bad enough but carter evans reports that firefighters also faced a man-made obstacle. >> you must leave now. >> reporter: the orders came with little warning, but they also came as no surprise to residents who saw flames and smoke approaching their homes in the los angeles suburb of santa clarita. >> i saw fire in my neighbor's backyard. that's when i said, okay, it's time to go. next thing you know, they're banging on my door, "get out get out." >> reporter: air fighters were making progress on wednesday until mike calkins spotted something just below his flame. >> just flash of orange red and just knew something wasn't part of our operation. >> repo

investigatorring believe roof walked into a.m.e. emanuel church, sat among the parishioners during the bible study meeting, stood up, pulled out a handgun and began shooting. all nine victims were shot multiple times. one of the survivors and several family members of the victims faced roof in a bond hearing on fridays. tywanza sanders' mother, felicia, watched her 26-year-old son die. sander's friend and local attorney andy savage was with her in the bond hearing and says he was one of the few people who has heard her account of the mass shooting. when you say she's the key witness? >> because she is the adult witness. felicia was under the table with her 11-year-old granddaughter conversed with her son who had been wounded who said to her "mom, i've been shot in the head." and his last gasp of breath was crawling towards his auntie, who was the oldest woman the oldest victim, who was killed. and as he proceeded crawling across the sanctuary floor, he was gunned down with multiple shots to the head. that's what his mother witnessed. >> rep

sam: just as emanuel a.m.e. church is a historic black church in downtown charleston this church is historic church in washington. today they held a prayer vigil in memory of people in south carolina. it was a service that brought together black and white. christian, jew muslim and sikh to mourn the violence in charleston. they paraded around-the-pack sanctuary holding high the picture of the nine can i feeled in the attack in charleston. among the speakers was an emotional commissioner who was the daughter of congressman clyburn. her friend cynthia hurd was among those killed. >> she was wonderful. she was dedicate. she was committed to her church and her community. >> i think in washington this is personal for a lot of people. >> this is personal for a lot of people with connections to south carolina. there are a lot of people who believe and have respect for institutions, religious institutions. sam: what happens next? she and owes says there needs to be an examination of the level of hatred that creates what

nine people were gunned down during bible study at emanuel a.m.e. church. tonight, at the church you see there, there is a public viewing for the pastor, state senatorta clementa pinckney. michelle miller is in charleston. ♪ ♪ ♪ce >> reporter: family members wept and embraced as they said their final good-byes to ethel lance the 70-year-old mother of five and grandmother of seven died in the church she served all her life. brandon risher is her grandson. >> you know, most people don't get to represent a symbol in death. she was a victim of hate. and she can be a symbol for love. that's what she was in life. ( applause ) hate is powerful. but love is more powerful. ( applause ) >> reporter: a few hours later across town, 45-year-old sharonda coleman-singleton was also being remembered. singleton died the same night she was ordained as a minister. she was a mother of three, a speech therapist, and coach of the girl's track team at goose creek high. khalia gadson says the team affectionately called her coach "sugar love" because "sugar love" is what she often

today, the congregation of emanuel a.m.e. church gathered for the first sunday service since a gunman killed nine people there last week with extra police officers on hand. mother emanuel was open to all the same spirit of welcoming that suspect dylann roof took advantage of last wednesday night. among the dead was the church's senior pastor, clemente pinkney with a black sheep draped over his chair. let's go live to south carolina now. >> many people were shoulder and surprised to hear this church was reopening four days after what happened here. one minister said they had to reopen to show the world just how strong their faith really is. determined not to led fear and anger outweigh their faith. >> i felt i needed to item and strengthen myself. >> many members returned to worship for the first time since wednesdays mass shooting, with heavy security on hand. >> it has been tough it's been rough. some of us have been down right angry, but through it all god has sustained us. >> ame church elder led the service, standing with

it was the mother emanuel a.m.e. church where he was killed last week along with eight others studying the bible. >> i ask that in the memory of mr. pinckney that we are generous in spirit, gracious in our conversation. >> reporter: a horse-drawn caisson will carry the reverend's casket to the state house grounds later today where the confederate flag continues to fly high. lawmakers in south carolina have new begun debate on removing what many view as a sign of hate, others a symbol of history. >> as we consider this amendment, we be respectful of the victims' families who are awaiting to bury their loved ones. >> reporter: president obama will deliver the eulogy at pinckney's funeral friday. >> two other viewings will be held tomorrow for reverend pinckney. one at emanuel a.m.e. church where he was pastor. the other in his hometown. services for the other eight victims will take place this week and next week. the city has temporarily banned protests or picketing within 300 feet of where the funerals, memorials or b

it appears that emanuel a.m.e. church was that. >> thank you very much martin savidge savidge. he knew wednesday night was the bible study class. let's go to drew griffin now. you have the breaking news on the roof family's message to the victims which you were able to obtain moments ago. >> reporter: yeah. it's clear that the roof family now watched that bond hearing and was touched by it. we have been waiting for any kind response from them for a couple days now. they finally released it. their attorney handing me this statement on front porch of dylann roof's father's home. i want to read to you it in part. it says words cannot express our shock, grief and disbelief as to what happened that night. we are devastated and saddened by what occurred. we have all been touched by the moving words from the vehicle tmictims' families offering god's forgiveness and love in the face of such horrible suffering. i can tell that you this family in columbia is also suffering. they have had a couple of meetings today. i talked to a pastor outside of one of the meetings who said they are dev

. >> reporter: a good man, gunned down with eight others inside mother emanuel a.m.e.rch during midweek bible study. accused killer dylann roof was never mentioned by name, but a sign near reverend pinckney's casket seemed aimed at him and all who hate. "wrong church, wrong people, wrong day." >> blinded by hatred, the alleged killer could not see the grace surrounding reverend pinckney and that bible study group. the light of love that shone as they opened the church doors and invited a stranger to join in their prayer circle. >> reporter: the president spoke of the nation's long struggle with race and the south's seismic shift this past week regarding the confederate flag. praise across political lines to south carolina republican governor nikki haley. she called for the flag to come down earlier this week. >> the flag has always represented more than just ancestral pride. for many, black and white, that flag was a reminder of systemic oppression and racial subjugation. we see that now. >> reporter: in church, the president acknowledged the national conversation abou

michelle and i know several members of emanuel a.m.e. church. we knew their pastor reverend clementa pinckney, who gathered with 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. any shooting involving multiple victims is a tragedy. there's 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 worshipers worked to end slavery. when there were laws banning all-black church gatherings, they conducted church in secret. when there was a nonviolent movement to bring our country closer in line with our highest ideals, some of our brightest leaders spoke and led marches from t

are investigating church fires in the wake of the emanuel a.m.e. church. it happened at churches with predominantly african-american congregations. three of the five fires were intentionally set. that includes last week's fire that gutted a church in charlotte. they expect race to be a factor in some cases. but they do not believe the fires are linked to one person or group. we are a getting first look at the man suspected to set fire to c.v.s. store in baltimore riot. a.t.f. issued this wanted poster for carter who is wanted on damage and destruction. the fire ignited after people began looting the store. they believe carter is still in the baltimore area. the man accused of sexual assaulting women at the wheton metro station bleeded guilty. jordan admitted to the attack. kevin lewis has followed the story from the start and is live outside the montgomery courthouse with the on-camera confession. kevin? kevin: maureen, until now jordan had a nearly clean criminal record that wasn't until december when he went on a sudden sexual abuse spree. today the 20-y

. >>> among the dead the pastor at the emanuel a.m.e. church clementa pinckney. he was a man with a booming voice but a gentle message. he preached peace. not only was he a pastor he was a state lawmaker too. he recently backed a bill to make body cameras mandatory for all police in south carolina in light of the walter scott shooting. >> we need a better more comprehensive and fair system. more importantly, every person in south carolina needs to know that they will have equal protection under the law and that a badge and a gun does not give someone superiority or will trump their constitutionally protected rights here in south carolina. >> but now that state senator among the dead inside that church. that officer, by the way, that he was speaking ofdicted for murder. i'm just so sorry. i know you just talked with pastor pinckney yesterday. i just can't imagine how you're feeling today. >> caller: it's quite frankly a feeling of disbelief. yesterday i had a very long conversation with senator pinckney early afternoon about some legislation that we needed to work

the body of the pastor will return to emanuel a.m.e. church for a day of viewings following wednesday's in the state capitol. more than 100 people returned for bible study at the church. workers removed all traces of last week's attack. morgan radford is live in charleston this morning. good morning. tell us all about what is going on around these first funerals. >> right well, stephanie protests have actually been banned near the funeral sites 300 feet from the memorials. that ordinance is expected to last 60 days. this is after members of the anti gay west borough baptist church based in kansas promised to picket the funerals. the community members said they would create a human blockade to prevent them from coming in. the two funerals that are happening today are for 70-year-old ethyl van and the second for is that rhonda singleton. >> more than 100 people returned to the service. all traces of that attack were removed. there's a visiting pastor that came and prayed with the congregation. i have some sound for you. listen to what he

. ♪ >> back in the emanuel a.m.e.hurch in charleston, south carolina, police investigating if there is a link between the gunman and a racist manifesto found on line. let's go live outside the church. an important moment for the community to come together and reflect on this terrible week that's just passed. >> it really is, very incredible sceneles outside the church. it is quiet a solemn scene but uplifting, as well with people cheering or chanting gospel songs. led me give you a scene of what it's like out here now. several hundred people and you said the church, people that were not able to get seats inside, the road has been blocked off so people can be outside and listen to what's happening inside the church via big speakers that are out here. we see a wide cross section of society as everyone really coming together, as we know, it's a historically black church and a lot of the caucasian community is out here, showing support for the families of the nine people that were terribly killed. now we did see in the st

. >> reporter: he and 8 oaths were killed -- 8 others were killed at a church, emanuel a.m.e., in charleston last week. it has raised a question about the confederate flag after the shooter was seen in a picture with the flag flying in it. but on this day, people are pausing to remember a political and spiritual leader. >>> and president obama will deliver the eulogy for state senator pinckney on friday. >> well, the church massacre sparked a fire storm of criticism over the confederate flag, because the accused gunman has pictures of himself posed with it. alabama made a move today to bring the flag down. the republican governor ordered the stars and bars be taken down from state capitol grounds saying he didn't want them to be a distraction. today those flagg poles were lying flat on the ground. but that didn't stop one man from walking around the monument holding a confederate flag. >>> the flag, as i say, is a hurtful symbol, an up necessary. we don't need it in the commonwealth of virginia. it is taken off. our website as of today. every one of these license plates will be replaced, so

to go after the alleged racially motivated murders of nine african-american worshippers at the emanuel a.m.e. church last week. nbc 10 national correspondent chris clackum has the latest developments. >> reporter: at the foot of the south carolina state capitol a call to remove the confederate battle flag from its grounds. >> we just want this flag down. >> reporter: a growing push gaining momentum. >> our job is to make them never forget what they promised. we did come to take it down. >> roll call is required. >> reporter: inside the capitol, state law makers who will ultimately vote on whether to remove the flag debated the issue. outside, arguments flared. >> the american flag has killed more people. >> reporter: one flag meaning different things to different people. for some it's about honoring ancestors who fought in the civil war. >> that flag he fought for. he thought enough of it so i'm fighting for it. it's my heritage. >> reporter: for others it represents a painful past. >> that confederate flag that flies in front of the state house is certainly a racist symbol. >> reporter: the

cameras captured these images of him entering i inging emanuel a.m.e. church. then around 9:00 roof stands up. he announces he is there to shoot black people. and he does. opening fire killing nine people six women and three men. the oldest an 87-year-old woman. all of thechlm african-american. three people survived. a community leader spoke with the relatives of one of the survivors who told them the shooter let her live. >> her life was spared because the shooter said i am not going to shoot you. i'm not going to -- i'm going to let you go because i want you to be able to tell them what happened. >> reporter: as police and first responders closed out the scene, the shooter made his escape. the subject of a manhunt. 10:32 this morning, someone phones police they have spotted a person they think is the suspect. 10:44, a police officer pulls over roof's car in shelby north carolina 250 miles north of charleston. he has a handgun but surrenders without incident. he turned 21 in april. his father gave him a gun for his birthday. after the arrest a moved president

. >>> the philadelphia church with ties to emanuel a.m.e. church in charleston will also reopen today for services. black bunting hangs inside mother bethel a.m.e. church in society hill. church leaders tell us they're making sure all worshipers are safe today. >>> we know we're in a neighborhood where anybody can walk through the doors. we have always taken it serious. i'm certain we'll pay more attention to it now. at the end of the day we don't want to let fear drive us. >> some houses of worship in our area are planning fund raises for the church in charleston. for a list visit nbc10.com. >>> the search for two escaped killers moved to the new york/pennsylvania border. someone spotted two men yesterday afternoon along train tracks near the town of friendship, new york. right now nearly 800 officers are searching the area for any sign of david sweat and richard matt. the duo used power tools to cut their way out of the clinton correctional facility in northern new york earlier this month. >>> love park in center city transformed into the a

hundreds leave flowers at emanuel a.m.e. church. sunday's services are held as usual. you for joining us. i'm john henry smith, more news ahead. first, the emotional moments from the tragedy in charleston. [ ♪♪ ] o we woke up today and the heart and soul of south carolina was prone. i do believe this was a hate crime. the most disaseredly act that one could imagine. >> and we pray na charleston will never be the same because of the love of the community. parents have to explain to the kids how they can go to church and feel safe it's not something we thought we'd have to deal with. >>> racist manifesto revealed. the web site carrying photos of the man accused of the u.s. church shootings >>> i'm shiulie ghosh live from doha. al jazeera calling for the release of its journalist arrested in germany under a warrant issued by egypt >>> why some say the indian prime minister is bending over backgrounds for political gain >>> and the lucky escape for a british army stunt sky

one of the nine killed when a gunman opened fire at a bible study inside historic black emanuel a.m.e. church. he told thousands in attendance the gunman was blinded by hatred and could not see grace surrounding that bible study. leon: overseas now. french police say a man suspected of having ties to radicals attacked an american-owned gas factory. two were injured when people ran in triggering an explosion. a man found dead on the site. the victim ran a transportation company that the suspect once worked for. that suspect is now in custody. a gunman opened fire at a beach resort in tunisia today killing 37 people. witnesses say the man pulled an automatic rifle from an umbrella and began shooting europeans. police shot and killed the gunman. the worst attack of the kind in tunisia's history. maureen: americans are warned about possible terrorist threats around the fourth of july holiday. homeland security secretary jeh johnson says people should remain individual leapt and report anything suspicious. authorities will suggest security measures as needed. it does not specific any parti

part because someone who wanted to inflict harm had no trouble getting their hands on a gun. >> emanuel a.m.e. is an historic church in charleston. its roots are in philadelphia. more specifically mother bethel a.m.e. church in society hill. that's where the african methodist episcopal church was founded in the late 1700s. nbc 10's deanna durante is live in society hill where the congregation will gather for a prayer service coming up in about an hour. you have been there all day long. i can only imagine what people are saying about this massacre. >> reporter: well obviously they are shocked and they are in mourning at this point. take a look. people have been coming here

maureen: the man charged in the shooting death of the emanuel a.m.e. church embraced the confederate flag as a symbol of white supremacy. is growing report to remove it from the ground of the capitol. nikki haley said she will move the effort to put the flag on a museum. >> whether it's a statehouse ground or the museum it will be part of south carolina. but this is a moment we can say that flag while an integral part of the past does not represent the future of the great state. >> while the flag was removed from the capitol dome in 2000 the governor cannot order it removedmoved from the capitol ground. the discussion of race in america and the place of the confederate flag is ongoing on the facebook page. just go to facebook.com to weigh in. >> new information in the freddie gray murder case. the judge set trial date for six baltimore city police officers in "grey's gray's death. he died from injuries that prosecutors say he sustained in an april april 12. the death led to rioting and protests around the country. coming up on "abc7 news at 6:00". why