By Ariele Vaccaro
Dylann Roof
In a Wednesday press release from her office, recently appointed Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced that Dylann Roof will be charged with hate crimes by a federal grand Jury in South Carolina.
Roof allegedly killed nine African American men and women worshiping at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C. last month.
“The parishioners had bibles. Dylann Roof had his 45 caliber glock pistol and eight magazines loaded with hollow point bullets,” said Lynch.
This news comes as no surprise to some who have watched the events following the shooting unfold.
After photos surfaced of the alleged shooter, Roof, sporting the confederate flag on a website that also contained his openly racist manifesto, some called for the charge.
Lynch expressed concordance with those who have identified the event as a series of hate crimes from the beginning.
“To carry out these twin goals of fanning racial flames and exacting revenge, Roof further decided to seek out and murder African Americans because of their race.
An essential element of his plan, however, was to find his victims inside of a church, specifically an African-American church, to ensure the greatest notoriety and attention to his actions.”
Roof will face a total of 33 counts, “for killing and attempting to kill African-American parishioners at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, because of their race and in order to interfere with their exercise of their religion,” said Lynch in the release.
The 21-year-old will also be charged with nine counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder, along with a slew of separate gun charges.
According to Lynch, Roof could receive a life sentence, or even the death penalty.