Charleston shooting suspect Dylann Roof appears in court

The mass shooting sparked a 14-hour manhunt which ended with police arresting 21-year-old Dylann Roof in a town in North Carolina, 220 miles north of Charleston. He waived his right to extradition and was flown back to South Carolina hours after his arrest.

Sources say he told police that “he almost didn’t go through with it because everyone was so nice to him” but that he ultimately decided he had to “go through with his mission.”

Four pastors, including a Democratic state senator, Clementa Pinckney, were among the six women and three men shot dead at the church. Police say the gunman sat in the church for an hour before killing his victims.

Dylann Roof was held in a cell next to a police officer who was charged with the killing of a black man in April, police say. It is alleged that North Charleston police officer Michael Slager shot Scott in the back as he ran away after being pulled over for a malfunctioning brake light.

The city’s chief of police called the attack a “hate crime” and President Barack Obama said it was a tragedy, and “heartbreaking” that it happened “in a place in which we seek solace and peace, in a place of worship”.

President Obama went on to say that the United States needs to have a debate about its gun laws, saying, “I have had to make statements like this too many times.”

“We don’t have all the facts but we know that, once again, innocent people were killed in part because someone who wanted to inflict harm, had no trouble getting their hands on a gun. At some point we will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other countries – it does not happen with this kind of frequency.”

First Lady Michelle Obama has said thoughts and prayers are not enough for the people of Charleston.

“We have seen too many tragedies like this and there is something particularly horrifying about something [like this] that happened – so senseless in a house of worship. My heart goes out to the people of Emanuel and to the people of Charleston. I pray for a community that I know is in pain, in the hope that tragedies like this will one day come to an end.”