Suspect in Charleston church shooting due in federal court
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The man accused of slaying nine parishioners as they worshipped at a South Carolina church was expected in court Friday to face dozens of federal charges, including hate crimes and obstructing the practice of religion.
Dylann Roof, 21, was scheduled to be arraigned in Charleston. The hearing, which was expected to be brief and would be his first appearance in federal court, was originally set for July 27 but was rescheduled to allow attorneys more time to prepare.
The federal prosecution, particularly on hate crimes, has been expected since the June 17 shootings at Emanuel African Methodist Church. Early on, officials with the U.S. Department of Justice said they felt the case met the qualifications for a hate crime, and Roof was indicted by a federal grand jury about a month after the killings.
Roof, who is white, appeared in photos waving Confederate flags and burning and desecrating U.S. flags. Federal authorities have confirmed his use of a personal manuscript in which he decried integration and used racial slurs to refer to blacks.
Because South Carolina has no state hate-crimes law, federal charges were needed to adequately address a motive that prosecutors believe was unquestionably rooted in racial hate, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said during a news conference announcing Roof's federal indictment.
Roof faces 33 federal charges in all, some of which could potentially carry the death penalty. The Justice Department has not decided whether it will seek the death penalty against Roof, nor whether its prosecution will come before a state case that includes murder charges and another potential death penalty prosecution.
Jeb Bush's son visiting South Carolina to campaign for dad
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Jeb Bush's son is visiting South Carolina this week for some campaign stops on his father's behalf.
George P. Bush is scheduled to be in Columbia for several events on Friday. First, he attends a Young Professionals reception at the Nexsen Pruet law firm before going to state Republican Party headquarters to file his father's paperwork as a candidate in South Carolina's upcoming GOP presidential primary.
Later in the day, the younger Bush is meeting with supporters at Lizard's Thicket restaurant in Lexington.
Chester police move out after rift with sheriff's office
CHESTER, S.C. (AP) — The Chester Police Department has moved out of the law enforcement building it had shared with the Chester County Sheriff's Office after a rift between the two agencies over office space.
Multiple news outlets report that the police packed up their belongings and moved to City Hall on Thursday after a dispute over who would use two offices vacated when the police department's major retired and its chief resigned
City Administrator Sandi Worthy says the move was prompted by two police employees who recently told city council members that they had been threatened with arrest if they entered the offices.
Sheriff Alex Underwood says no such threats were made by any of his employees and that he hadn't heard claims of any threats until the police officers began moving.