Mass shooting at historic black church in South Carolina: White gunman fatally shoots nine people in hate crime before going on the run
A gunman opened fire at a historic African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina Wednesday night, killing nine people, and reports say a bomb threat was called in just hours later. Police responded to the shooting around 9pm at the 150-year-old Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church in the city's downtown and while there is no information about the victims, the Charleston police chief Gregory Mullen confirmed in a news conference that there were nine fatalities. 'This is a tragedy that no community should have to experience… It is senseless, unfathomable…' Mullen said. 'We are going to do everything in our power to find this individual, to lock him up, to make sure he does not hurt anyone else…' He said he believes the shooting was a hate crime. A huge manhunt ensued with officers wearing bullet-proof vests and carrying guns. The gunman was still at large at 1am. Among the dead is Rev. Clementa Pinckney, pastor of the church and Sout...