World

Charleston relatives 'forgive' shooting suspect in court

June 19, 2015 5:08 pm

Relatives of some of the nine churchgoers shot dead in South Carolina have addressed the suspected gunman in court and said they forgive him.

Dylann Roof, 21, appeared in court in Charleston to face nine murder charges.

He showed no emotion as relatives of the victims addressed him directly. “I forgive you” said one victim’s daughter, fighting back tears.

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Police are treating the killings at the African-American church on Wednesday night as a hate crime.

And the Justice Department says it is investigating whether it might have been an act of domestic terrorism.

It said in a statement, the shooting was “designed to strike fear and terror into this community”, and the department was considering all possibilities.

Also Friday, the Roof family released a statement through their lawyer.