Dylann Storm Roof, the 22 year old alleged gunman who killed nine African-American parishioners inside of Charleston, South Carolina’s historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church will seek the death penalty if found guilty of his crimes.
Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch released a statement Tuesday (May 24) further explaining the decision.
“Following the department’s rigorous review process to thoroughly consider all relevant factual and legal issues, I have determined that the Justice Department will seek the death penalty. The nature of the alleged crime and the resulting harm compelled this decision.”
On June 17, 2015, Roof walked into the AME church during a bible study and waited about an hour before opening fire and killing nine attendees. The vicious crime, was the precursor to a summer of black church bombing across the south. Roof was captured a short while after by police and taken into custody.