joey meek didn't really indicate that he had notified anybody, that he had taken possession of the guncumstances in meek's situation, he didn't want to divulge publicly we believe he probably didn't notify any authorities that he had taken possession of that gun, at least temporarily. and also tonight, we did learn from joey meek that in those hours after the shooting meek also in addition to the shooter's family members, meek called the fbi and gave them detailed descriptions of the shooter, what the shooter was wearing. the shooter's license plate, his car, and he believes that he was crucial in them apprehending the shooter. so you've got joey meek calling the authorities right after the shooting. you've got three members of the shooter's family also calling authorities after the shooting. and that of course leads you to believe that you know, there was some awareness there of what could happen and maybe some layering there, beforehand that didn't take place, that maybe could have prevented this. >> yeah. i mean a lot of what-ifs certainly. and the message, i think, certainly, for a

one recent evening when they were talking about this and that dylann roof was saying crazy things joey meekugh that he took dylann roof's gun away from him, but then a short time after that meek told us that he was scared of being possibly arrested for stealing a gun, so he gave the gun back to dylann roof put it back in his car. asked him how he felt about that, he said he feels terrible and he feels terrible about what happened but he just didn't feel he could really get away with stealing a gun from someone, so he gave it back. so a little bit of nuance and new detail to the accounts of what dylann roof was thinking and doing in the weeks leading up to the charleston shootings, carol. >> and, brian, i'll ask you a difficult question because we haven't heard from the family of dylann roof. in fact they're expected to talk out a little later this afternoon. but, you know, racists aren't born. they learn that behavior from somewhere and something. did his friend have any insight into that? >> reporter: i really pressed him on that. i said, you know what changed him? he said that when they w

joey meeks said that the shooter's parents did not want him to have a gun.sked him why not, and he said he doesn't really know, just some instinct that they had. but, they did give the shooter some money for his 21st birthday in april, and that they divided up the money that each parent would give him so that he would be able to buy the gun and put it in his name. they did not buy the gun outright for him, but there was a dispute within the family, they didn't want him to have a gun, had some inkling that maybe something bad would happen, but in the end, they appeared to give in, split up the money and gave him the money so he could buy a gun and put it in his own name. between that layer and the layer o of this friend, joey meek, having taken the gun from him at one point and given it back, there are points along the way, anderson, where you think, this really could have been prevented, and whatever was nit way of it, for whatever reason, didn't prevent it. >> brian, appreciate your reporting, drew griffin, as well. just ahead, we'll be focusing attention w

took him serious, but if someone took him seriously, this all would have been avoided. >> reporter: joey meek says the day before the shootings, he woke up and saw dylann roof outside him home. he said roof was sleeping inside his own car. meek said roof game him and other friends a ride to the nearby lake and said would be back that night or wednesday morning. he said that was the last time hi saw dylann roof. >> was this friend joey meek who notified the authorities about roof after the shootings, he actually notified the police when he heard that initial description, right? >> reporter: he did, wolf joey meek said he was watching the news coverage all night long and called the fbi the next morning giving de tailed descriptions of what dylann roof was wearing, giving them a de tailed description of the license mate on his car. joey meek believes he was crucial in helping the authorities to apprehend dylann roof. he says he doesn't want to be called a hero for this he just wants the family of families of the victims to know he tried to help. >> reporter: and in the affidavit that was release

joey meek and his mom kim saw roof just tuesday. they say he always had a gun with him. >> what kind of guns did he have? >> 45 glock. >> reporter: this is a small town, tight community. neighbors say they saw roof all the time in and out of the country store, but nothing seemed suspicious. but earlier this year, his bizarre behavior leading to run-ins with police. in february roof wearing all black arrested at a mall after asking employees out of the ordinary questions, accused of illegally possessing a prescrip drug roof telling police his parents were pressuring him to get a job. just two months later roof arrested again at that same mall for trespassing. tonight friends say they are shocked by this ending. the friends say they do not believe roof was a member of any organized hate groups. they call him a loaner and they tell me he dropped out of school in the 9th grade.

roof's childhood friend, joey meek, jr., says he reconnected with roof a few weeks ago. meek says roof told him he wanted to hurt a whole bunch of people and that he had a plan. >> he told me that the black people was taking over the country and that he wanted it to be segregation. >> reporter: meek says roof used birthday money from his parents to buy a gun. sources tell cbs news, police found the .45-caliber pistol in roof's possession and investigators found shell casings of the same caliber at the shooting scene. craig boswell, cbs news, charleston, south carolina. >> the nine people killed in south carolina are being remembered across the bay area. kiet do is in san jose with more on how people are supporting the community.>>> reporter: good morning. hundreds of people all across the bay area came together to mourn those victims from charleston. the congregation at the true vine baptist church in east san jose held an organized vigil last night. people of all faiths were welcome. dr. pastor lee wilson said our nation faces the horrible challenge of racism, violence a

his childhood friend joey meek said he reconnected with him a few weeks ago. he said roof told him he wanted to hurt a whole bunch of people and he had a plan. >> he told me the black people were taking over the world. >> reporter: roof used his birthday money from his parents to buy a gun. investigators found shell casings of the same caliber at the shooting scene. i spoke to the former pastor of the emanuel ame church here. he personally knew of seven of the nine victims. he spoke about their dedication and commitment and the church that was formed to make a statement. he said people here have proved themselves over and over again and they will do so once again. alison, back to you. >>> the men and women of emanuel ame church were open to all in their bible study group. six women and three men ranked in age from 23to 87. marlie hall has more from charleston on the lives that were lost that i hold on knowing that my mother took her last breath in a place that she loved. >> reporter: the daughter of ethyl lee lance taking solace in the fact that her mother die

roof's childhood friend, joey meek, jr., says he reconnected with roof a few weeks ago. meek says roof told him he wanted to hurt a whole bunch of people and that he had a plan. >> he told me that the black people was taking over the country and that he wanted it to be segregation. >> reporter: meek says roof used birthday money from his parents to buy a gun. sources tell cbs news, police found the .45-caliber pistol in roof's possession and investigators found shell casings of the same caliber at the shooting scene. craig boswell, cbs news, charleston, south carolina. >> president obama expressed anger and sadness in response to the church shooting. he said the massacre shows the need for a national reckoning on gun violence in america. mr. obama said that too often, he has had to come to a microphone to mourn the deaths of innocent people killed by someone who had no trouble getting access to a gun. >> 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. >> mr. obama said he and firs

joey meek and his mom saw roof just tuesday.say he always had a gun with him. >> what kind of guns? >> .45 glock. >> did he carry it around? >> in his car. >> reporter: they called police when they saw him on tv this morning. fbi showing up at their home today. >> this is a small town. a close-knit community. neighbors saw roof coming in and out of the country store all the time but he never raised any suspicion. but earlier this year his bizarre behavior leading to run-ins with police. in february roof wearing all-black, arrested at a mall after asking employees out of the ordinary questions. accused of illegally possessing a prescription drug roof telling police his parents were pressuring him to get a job. just two months later, roof was arrested again at that same mall for trespassing. tonight, for every vigil around the country there are as many unanswered questions. for "nightline," cecilia vega in charleston south carolina. >> thoughts and prayers with them all tonight. >>> next laverne cox on caitlyn jenner and being a t

roof's childhood friend joey meek jr. said he reconnected with roof a few weeks ago. meek jr. said roof told him he wanted to hurt a whole bunch of people and he had a plan. >> he told me the black people were taking over the world. he wanted there to be segregation. >> reporter: roof used his birthday money from his parents to buy a gun. police found a .45 caliber gun in his bedroom and investigators found shell casings of the same caliber at the shooting scene. i spoke to the former pastor of the emanuel ame church here. he personally knew of seven of the nine victims. he spoke about their dedication and commitment and the church that was literally formed to make a statement. he said people here have proved themselves over and over again and they will do so once again. alison, back to you. >> craig boswell in charleston. thank you, craig. >>> the men and women of emanuel ame church were open to all in their bible study group. six women and three men ranged in age from 23 to 87. among among them a high school track coach, a librarian, and a college graduate. marlie hall has m

two days ago, he spent the morning playing computer games and breaking vodka with this man, joey meek, before the shootings. >> he told me that the black people was taking over the country and that he wanted to -- wanted it to be segregation white with white and black with black. reporter: but far from driving people apart, this is a community that is coming together. this was a vigil for sharonda singleton, one of those killed at the emmanuel church. her teenage children were among the mourners. they told us that faith helped them cope. >> i'm a little bitter, but i'm overwhelmed with love. >> we already forgive him for what he has done. there is nothing but love from our side of the family. reporter: this evening, thousands will fill a sports arena entrusted to remember all nine victims of the bible study killings. laura: a brief time ago john joined us from the scene in south carolina. can you describe the atmosphere for us? john: well, it was extraordinary. it was deeply moving. it is hard to overstate the generosity of spirit that was shown by the families, one after another, sta

. >> joey meek said he allowed roof to periodically stay in miss mobile home. when he saw roof's picture on a wanted poster he called authorities. >> i identified him by name and identified to a t the exact shirt he was wearing while he did this. >> meek's mother says she cried when she learned roof was was implicated in the shootings and wished someone had taken seriously his claims he was going to harm people. >> no matter what or who it is take them seriously. because you never know. >> reporter: meantime dylann roof is being held now in the detention facility behind me. his next public appearance in court is scheduled for october. willie? >> mark potter in north charleston. mark thanks. as we learn more about the shooter, we are also hearing more about the victims, the nine people gunned down inside the church three nights ago. the families are speaking out about their loved ones and the man who is believed to have taken their lives. ron allen is in charleston. ron, good evening >> reporter: good effectvening to you, willie. a huge out pouring of grief and

joey meek called police after he recognized dylann roof. the two had recently reconnected. meek says roof had complained about black people and a need for something to be done for, quote, the white race. >>> pastor who was shot and killed is also a state senator. 41-year-old clementa pinckney was a married father of two. and he was the youngest member of the south carolina statehouse when he was elected at age 23. at the south carolina statehouse, a black drape and red rose were put over his desk. >>> the emanuel african methodist episcopal church has a tough history. its founder trying to organize a slave revolt in 1822. he was caught and the church was burned down in revenge. members back then worshipped underground until after the war between the states. >>> in the bay area tonight dozens of people stopping by a berkeley memorial today for victims of the balcony collapse. it's nearly doubled in size this week as mourners bring more flowers, flags and pictures of the victims. people embraced as they reflected on the tragedy. kpix 5's da lin joins us live from berkeley, th

roof's childhood friend joey meek, jr., says he reconnected with roof a few weeks ago. meek says roof told him he wanted to hurt a whole bunch of people and that he had a plan. >> he told me that the black people was taking over the country and that he wanted it to be segregation. >> reporter: meek says roof used birthday money from his parents to buy a gun. sources tell cbs news, police found a .45-caliber pistol in roof's possession and investigators found shell casings of the same caliber at the shooting scene. craig boswell, cbs news charleston, south carolina. >>> in san jose there was a memorial for the victims of the shooting. people met at a church in the city's alum rock area. >> there are times when tragedy and other incidents happen in our country and city that we need to come together and pray. we didn't want to protest, rally, town hall meeting. we needed some quiet time and we received that tonight. >> and the president expressed anger and sadness in response to the shootings. he said the massacre shows the need for a national reckoning on gun violence in

. >> the parents didn't respond to what joey meeks said. the family said words can't express their shock, grief, and disbelief over what happened. the families' pastor also spoke on their behalf. >> what they ask and i ask is we continue to hold all these families in our prayers, and that the whole world, our nation charleston our community, understand that we love them god loves them. >> reporter: there was other bizarre behavior meek says. >> one day he asked me if i can videotape him burning the american flag. i said hell no he's crazy. >> he's got his own message. >> i'm sorry this happened to everybody. it could have been prevented if people would have taken him serious, but dylann wasn't a serious problem and no one took him serious, if someone had took him serious, this would have been avoided. >> the day of the shooting he saw dylann sleeping in his own car. he gave him a ride to a nearby lake and he said he would be by and that was the last time he saw it many. >> dylann roof's website was filled with images of the confederate batt

. >> reporter: joey meek had been friends with the shooter in middle school. few years ago, but reconnected in recent months. meek says he recently talked about a six-month plan he had to, quote, do something crazy. meek says he doesn't know that was earlier today. this is the scene. hundreds have gathered here, and you hear them singing. people holding hands. there is strength in numbers here. amazing grace, just 48 hours after this tragedy. there are difficult days ahead too little, too late. somebody needs to speak up. if you see something, say something. >> the fact that, by the shooter's own admission, argument according to authorities, his motivation was based on race, hatred of black people, desire for a race war. we've seen those images of him with the patches of apartheid in south africa. how hard is it to track someone who plans to act alone, as opposed to someone who's very publicly part of a broader group? because there are a lot of groups and law enforcement can track groups. but lone wolves, individuals who are just motivated by watching stuff on

. >> roof's childhood friend joey meek says the shooting it upsetting.took his gun away a few weeks ago for a day when roof began railing about black people and real estate marked he had a plan. some are wondering why the confederate flag a symbol embraced by hate groups is still flying and hasn't been lowered to half staff. >> the confederate flag is not flown atop the dome of the state capitol building. that is only for the u.s. flag and the south carolina flag. it's the governor who can order those at half staff. the confederate flag by law must fly at a height of 30 feet any changes must be passed by a super majority of the general assembly and that has not been done. cnn, new york. >>> and as calls ring out for tighter gun control in the u.s. there's been another two mass shootings. one was the a children's party in detroit and other at a picnic in philadelphia. >> it's tragic all the way around. this children's party, there were 10 people were shot one man was died. 400 people had gathered on a basketball court there for a party. investigators say

joey meek told abc news he had not. it's not clear why he didn't. they have reached out to meek and the roommate. we have the breaking news on the apparent confession. evans in washington with the breaking details. what have you learned? >> reporter: he wanted to start a race war. that's what he said in talking to the fbi and charleston fbi detectives who interviewed him yesterday in north carolina. today, he is back in jail and he must be thinking he failed because you can see the reaction there in charleston has been the opposite. we are told that he talked to these investigators freely and openly for several hours before he was taken to court to be -- to begin the process to send him back to charleston. now, we also know that the atf and the fbi have been working this case. the atf helped trace the handgun. we are told that roof bought this handgun, this .45 caliber handgun in charleston in april. he bought it himself. his grandfather cold brian todd his father roof's father gave him money to buy the gun for his birthday birthday. alisyn? >> evan

a one-time friend, joey meek says he talked to roof just recently. >> it was a race thing, because heold me that the black people was taking over the country and that he wanted it to be segregation that white on black. or, white with the white, black with the black. >> sreenivasan: even so, south carolina senator lindsey graham a republican presidential candidate, joined visitors to the church, still struggling to understand. >> crazy people abound. that's what this guy was, a crazy guy. not in terms of being mentally incompetent, just being mean and hateful and crazy. i can't explain it. there's just no way i can explain what would motivate a person to do this. >> sreenivasan: whatever the explanation, south carolina governor nikki haley told n.b.c. today there's only one way the case can end. >> these are nine families that are struggling. this is a state that is hurt by the fact that nine people were innocently killed. we will absolutely want him to have the death penalty. >> sreenivasan: far from charleston, the tragedy sparked an outpouring of sympathy, and cries for action, from

>> reporter: yeah wolf we've been speaking with joey meek he was a friend of ryan -- excuse me dylann roof's from their middle school years. they lost touch, then reconnected in recent months. meek gave a very disturbing portrait of dylann roof's behavior in recent weeks, in the weeks leading up to this shooting. especially he said he had some very violent ideas about provoking tensions between the races. here's what he had to say. >> i mean he was just saying he wanted segregation, he wanted race war, he wanted to be white with white, black with black. >> what did you say when he said that? >> i didn't agree with his opinion at all. we just argued about it. >> reporter: now meek says that on the night that dylann roof talked about starting a race war, he said roof had had about a liter of vodka, that he was really drunk. when he talked about this plan to maybe start a race war, meek got very concerned and felt he had to take action. here's what he had he had to do next. >> well that same night i took his gun and i hid it. the next morning, i didn't want to get in trouble with him say

. >> reporter: childhood friend joey meeks and his mom kim saw roof on tuesday, the day before the shootinghe fbi showed up at their house after they called police when they recognized roof's face on tv. they say roof advocated for segregation and always carried a gun in his car. >> he said that he thought that the black -- the black in general as a race was bringing down the white race. >> reporter: in this photo flag patches on roof's jacket one from apartheid era south africa. his bizarre behavior recently leading to run-ins with the law. in february roof wearing all black arrested at a mall after asking employees out of the ordinary questions like how many workers there were and when they were leaving? he was accused of illegal possessing a prescription drug. roof telling police his parents were pressuring him to get a job. just two months later roof arrested again at that same mall for trespassing. and this morning, new questions -- >> what do you have to say. >> reporter: get so few answers. and roof is being held in isolation here. police say it is for his own protection. he does hav

cut that he had and the sweatshirt that he was wearing, apparently one of guys who knew him, this joey meek recognized this stained sweatshirt because if you notice above his -- on his right shoulder that's a big stain, he got that when he was working at a landscape company. >> and ainsley alluded to this as well, he would been playing a civil war and said he was going to commit suicide after doing this awful, awful thing that he did out of racism and out of hate. you know you see that he was actually in trouble with the law beforehand. he was brought to the attention -- he was walking around a mall asking bizarre questions to people there. it put him in a spotlight to police. >> how many people work here? what time do you close? >> and with those drug charges later on and he was under a lot of pressure to get a job. >> he dropped out of ninth grade. he was found with some drugs on him. including a drug that helps you get off opium. he had that same hl low -- hollow look as adam lansa. >> he says when i knew him before he never talked about race or any problem he had, but he talked about --

roof's childhood friends joey says he reconnected with roof a few weeks ago, meek says roof told him he wanted to hurt a whole bunch of people and that he had a plan. >> he just told me that the black people was taking over the country and he wanted it to be segregation. >> meek says roof used birthday money from his parents to buy a gun. sources tell cbs news, police found a 45 caliber pistol in roof's possession, and investigators found shell casings of the same caliber at the shooting scene. charleston county sheriff's department says roof social security held in isolation and later today charged with nine counts of murder. live in charleston, south carolina, craig boswell, now back to you. >> craig, thanks for that update. we we do appreciate it. >> local church holds vigil to remember the victims of the church massacre in south carolina. >> hundreds of people from faiths gathered last night at mother bet elame church in society killed. one of those killed reverend pinkney, a member of the south carolina state senate. he has family in our area. >> it was in a place he loved. wais