certainly not in charleston. coming together of the people in charleston, the outpouring of love has been just inxre henceable for me and i'm from here. and more importantly to hear the victims' families speak in such forgiving and loving terms to me is mind boggling. the hate that came into this city and did that act is foreign to charleston. i don't believe, i don't know white -- i know a lot of bad people. i was a defense lawyer and a prosecutor. i've seen a lot of horrible acts in charleston and i just don't think that is, you know, that is something that is part of charleston. >> for richard stony, the manifest toe along with the gallery of photos posing with confederate flags show a young man stuck in the wrong vision of the past. >> when you go online, you can see pictures of him posing with the confederate flag. what do you think of that? >> as a southerner, the confederate flag is such an emotional as a son of confederate war veterans, it's an emotional image because we all want to believe that the war w

where is charleston, how is charleston coping? >> charleston is healing tonight, and at mother emmanuel we're in a state of getting ready to bury our dead and go through the healing process. we are one charleston. this kind of racial motivated terrorism only draws us closer together as a people in this city of charleston. >> sometimes i think we forget our history or maybe i'm guilty of that when i watched del walters' piece tonight and he talked about the slave market that is now a tourist attraction in the city of charleston. you can't get away from--go ahead. >> yes, we do have a market, but that market that you're probably referring to is really not the slave market. the slave market is on queen street. but more importantly as we move forward we are building an international african american museum in our city. the museum will be where 40% of the slaves came into this country. it's important for our city to tell the true story to make sure that the history books reflect what really happened in our country. we feel that by buil

and this is one of the most active elaborate bases, but that's not a unique thing to charleston charleston. there was a unique fire to charleston years prior and we lost nine firefighters. so it's ironic that the shooter killed nine people and just years ago on this same day. i can't tell you what was in the shooter's state of mind only that there was hate in his heart. >> in fact the dr. martin luther king center in georgia put out a powerful statement about this early this morning. in which they said we believe that nonviolence is not just about our physical response but includes our social media communication. they are urging everyone even on social media, to keep a level head. they went on to say we have to defy hate with truth and love. they are calling for people to transcend the hate but that is easier said than done. what are you telling your constituents saying this morning? >> we are preaching patience and be asking the community to come together. in fact last night a group of ministers and community members led prayer right behind me. that's what we'll be doing for the better pa

jonathan martin for us in charleston south carolina. >>> michelle obama talked about the charleston shooting this morning. the first lady is in italy with her mother and daughters. she said that saying her thoughts and prayers with people in charleston does not convey how she really feels. >> my heart goes out to the people of emmanuel and the people of charleston i pray for a community i know is in pain and with the hope that tragedies like these will one day come to an end. >> reporter: the first lady said she was particularly pained by the fact that the shooting happened in a house of worship, president obama made similar comments yesterday. >>> emmanuel ame is the oldest black congregation in the south. as morgan radford tells us now, it has seen more than its share of violence and upheaval. >> reporter: beyond the tragedy at emmanuel ame standings a church with deep historical roots. >> where you are is a very special place in charleston and it's a very special place, because this church and this site this area has been tied to the history and life of african americans since about the e

we are on the road in charleston, south carolina. the supreme court has upheld a key provision of the affordable care act, preserving the health insurance coverage of millions of people and handing president obama a major victory. on thursday, the court ruled 6 to 3 that obamacare recipients can obtain tax subsidies for health insurance in states that use federal exchanges. right-wing plaintiffs had argued the law's wording excluded some 7.5 million people in 34 states who get their insurance through federal exchanges after their states declined to run exchanges of their own. but writing for the majority chief justice john roberts said -- "congress passed the affordable care act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them." if the government had lost millions of people would have been left without the subsidies needed to help pay for private health insurance. at the white house, president obama celebrated the ruling. >> the affordable care act is here to stay. this morning, the court upheld a critical part of this law, t

there is a difference between the city of charleston and the city of north charleston where the walter scott incident occurred. and i have a great deal of respect for mayor sumy who from the onset was very clear that that was a wrong deed that occurred and the officer who was involved should be punished accordingly. but i think it's very important to make sure that people know that these are two distinct cities-- the city of charleston and the city of north charleston. >> sreenivasan: even if you looked at your city descraetly from north charleston or the state of south carolina there seem to be these competing or conflicting facts. you have an indian american governor, an african america senator. you, yourself are elected from a majority white community, or the district that you're in. yet, tame you have a confederate flag flying high next to the steps of the state capitol. >> well, for me right now, we are going to have time to deal with that issue. but as a member of emanuel, a lifelong member what we want to focus on as a church and as a city, burying our dead go through the healin

you heard the police chief and mayor of charleston. a press briefing with the officials again in about an hour and a half. what is the very latest from officials on their manhunt? >> reporter: christine, we don't have a lot of information on the manhunt. the latest we heard was about an hour and a half ago. they said it is still underway. they have not found him yet. the last time we were officially briefed by the police chief and mayor, was an hour and a half ago, they said they are still in the area but not giving specifics where they are looking or where they think he may be going. >> ashley i want to play some sound of the mayor and police chief last night. they are on the hunt right now for 21-year-old roughly white male with jeans and gray sweatshirt and timberland boots. they are calling this a hate crime. let's listen. >> do you believe this was a hate crime? >> i do believe it is a hate crime. >> is that why the fbi is here? >> it will be investigated as a hate crime. the fbi would be here regardless because of the size and sc

and in north charleston. we'd like to see that this killing investigation is taken and investigated and justice is served. i think that the community as a whole will be comfortable with that. >> representative rutherford, thank you for being with us. i should mention that you represent the district in richland. in terms of your response -- >> i live right on the corner from the shooter. >> you live around the corner from the suspect in this case. >> right. as i got to charleston i learned that the shooter's father lives right around the corner from my house. it is extremely scary. this individual drove two hours away from downtown columbia to come all the way to charleston to kill nine people. i still don't understand it. >> in terms of that remarkable trip that he took and how far he went out of his way, do you think there's reason to believe that emanuel church was targeted specifically and especially from so far away, specifically because of its civil rights history? >> it is troublesome. one would have to

eastern are being opened in charleston. i huddled with a group of charleston county law enforcement. they told me a few minutes ago, they have leads. they have canines out in charleston. also looking in the suburbs of the city. they are not looking around the immediate area of the church. >> have there been threats, robert, to this church? this is a well known congregation. it goes all the way back to 1810. we talked about the king center tweeting a picture of dr. martin luther king jr. in the church. wednesday night prayer meeting. have there ever been threats to this church? >> reporter: not that i know of. i have spoken with church members. when you walk around the streets here, this is the sleepy south. this has palm trees on the street. a nice park on the street and gas station and convenience stores. this is a pleasant area. not an area you think of crime. people were having a prayer service here. that stunned a lot of parishioners here. >> robert, hang on a second. we will put up file picture of the emanuel african m

charleston south carolina has been dealing with a lot. we can tell you a little more about this church emanuel church here in charleston. it is not just historic but symbolic for a number of reasons. this is a church that was burned down some years ago by slave owners here in charleston. more than 150 years ago. it was rebuilt then in the '50s '60s '70s it was a planning site of sorts. lots of civil rights marches and rallies that happened here in charleston and south carolina the northeast a lot of rallies were planned at the church behind me. the same church that was rocked by tragedy last night around 9:00. >> the breaking news that dylann roof has been arrested. thank you very much. we are expecting to hear from the president in the next half hour. we'll be back on the air when that happens. for now, this has been an nbc news special report. we'll have much more on "nbc nightly news" tonight and much more throughout the day on nbcnews.com. >>> we've been talking about the bethel a.m.e. in society hill section, a friend of reverend pin

some considerable distance from charleston. so now with that process as of mayor joe riley put it they can begin the process of our healing together. it removes one of the most important barriers here which is that people were really dealing with this double blow of trying to come to terms with the pain of this tragedy while at the same time it not being over. the fear that this could happen again. especially pronounced in the faith community which is so strong here in charleston. leaders, not just christian leaders but muslim leaders as well terrified at the pros spelkt of something like this happening to them and whether they had to look every which way at whoever came into their mosque or synagogue or church. it was just a heartbreaking prospect. and so with that perhaps now the closure process can just at least begin. >> well, i'm not sure that there can ever be closure for something like this. i think eugene robinson is with us as well. eugene, you're from south carolina. >> uh-huh. >> this brings back every memory the mem

in charleston last night. we're back with more breaking news. i'm joined from charleston by jennifer barry hawes. you're reporting for tomorrow. is there something that we're going to develop in the next 24 hours, the motivation, the atmospherics to get in the suspect's head? >> i think we'll be hearing more and more about what kind person he was, hearing a lot more about his background and other run-ins with the law he might have had. we'll be hearing a lot more about the victims. in charleston it's something we've all been waiting for all day. who were these people, they obviously were all part of a bible study at the church. we want to know about who they were, what their backgrounds were and what exactly happened inside the church of course. i understand there was a business meeting that they conducted earlier in the evening and most of the people left and this bible study remained, 12 people, 9 of whom are dead. we'll be looking to find out more of what happened in the basement of the church. >> this is d

you went to charleston. what motivated you to go to charleston and meet with some of these families? >> there was a series of events throughout the year and i wanted to be there so bad. we had the season going on, we're in the middle of the playoffs. this time we had just got out and it hurt you know to see the things that had happened in charleston. just broke my heart because i felt like it could have been me it would have been my friends, it could have been my pastor. i wanted to be there, show my support, just to show people that we need change in our society. >> you have started a campaign called breathe again. let's talk about that. what's your mission? >> well, my mission is to really just change people lives. i think that all of us you know as a society, we need to breathe again. we need to step back and take a look at ourselves and our lives. and if we want change, we need to be that change. we've got to have hope. we need some type of hope. some type of bright light to make us want to move forward.

did he intentionally target the historic charleston church? we're going to hear from people who know him, including his family. >>> common grief. this hour the people of charleston come together for a massive vigil. we'll take you there live. >>> to the makeshift memorial growing larger by the hour outside the church where the victims died. >>> is it a symbol of hate? in the wake of the shootings we're hearing new questions about why south carolina still flies the confederate battle flag on the grounds of its state capitol. tonight there are passionate calls to take it down. >>> we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> this is cnn breaking news. >> we're following breaking news in charleston south carolina. we're only moments away from the start of the massive vigil honoring the nine victims of emanuel ame church the massacre there. just a few hours ago, dylann roof, who law enforcement officials say has confessed to the killings made a video conference appe

i am here live in charleston south carolina. a city i have always wanted to visit, certainly not under these circumstances. the city is grieving after the massacre on wednesday that killed nine. the big question becomes, how does this city how does this community begin to move forward. i want to bring in carl anderson the south carolina state representative and also the chairman of the south carolina legislative black caucus. he is a pastor he knew clementa pinckney. good to see you. i'm so sorry it's under these circumstances, sir. when you arrived here we were talking about the fact for you, this hit you on two accounts. not only was he your colleague in the legislature, this was a fellow pastor in the ame community. you knew this man well. >> yes i did. yes i did. >> you lost a lion in the fight, did you not? >> we did. we lost a guy who was a caring compassionate, loving person dedicated to his work dedicated to church work dedicated to his district as a senator. a family man, also. but he was a brother and a friend. >> i ha

retired in 2005 as charleston

charleston, joe riley. we're going to bring that to you live as, of course, the nation grieves with that city. for the nine people massacred in their house of worship. we're also getting new details at this hour about the man who carried out that cowardly attack. charleston police say dylann roof is charged now with nine counts of murder and possession of a firearm. his first court appearance is set for today at 2:00 p.m. law enforcement officials also say that roof confessed to the shootings during interviews with the charleston police and the fbi. as to his motive, a law enforcement official says roof told investigators he wanted to start a race war. investigators have determined that roof used a .45 caliber handgun to commit his horrific crimes, a gun he purchased from a charleston gun store in april. meanwhile, we're also waiting to hear new developments in upstate new york from new york state police in the search for the two escaped prisoners there. the search now entering its 13th day. investigators a

also you can mail checks to box 304 charleston 29402. we'll get this out, so we have a way that we all can help right away. not 24 hours even after this dastardly event, that the citizens in our community, in our country can help and positively respond. and then there is going to be a time where we can announce a vigil at the charleston arena which is not a block from the mother the emanuel and we will have a time to come together in prayer to mourn the losses and to come together as the community with the time of that event tomorrow evening will be announced soon, and we will be getting that out into the media. i thank everyone who is here, as chief mullen said, the media, because we are able to arrest this the awful person in shelby, north carolina, because we got the word out. it is a good sign, and wonderful sign that in america, you know, we don't let bad people like this get away with these das dardly deeds. thank you. governo governor? >> than you, mr. mayor. and i want to thank the mayor, because he has had great leadership, but

people head to charleston. but this incident happened at a church and already there's been kind of a prayer circle held by the local community, as well. give us a sense of who's really impacted by what is happening at this moment. >> it is a touristy area. a lot of folks who know the area have come down. right now there's another prayer circle that is happening close to where the media is gathered. i'm not sure if you are able to see those images right now but it is bigger than what we saw earlier and they are praying passionately and asking for understanding and they -- you can tell they are very upset by this. >> ashley killough please stand by as we wait for this news conference. congressman mac was on the scene tonight in charleston and is stressing the importance of community unity. let's listen to what he had to say. >> we need more people involved. we need better relationships with law enforcement we need to crackdown on crime, all crime. we need neighborhood associations to come together and be real com

in that horrific shooting there in charleston -- in charleston south carolina there. this as a 21-year-old suspect, dylann roof is now in police custody. we'll bring you live coverage coming up here on "the cycle." that's coming up next. her efforts are helping to support her research and the animals she cares so deeply about. for more watch your business on msnbc. american express for travel and entertainment worldwide. just show them this - the american express card. don't leave home without it! and someday, i may even use it on the moon. it's a marvelous thing! oh! haha! so you can replace plane tickets, traveler's cheques, a lost card. really? that worked? american express' timeless safety and security are now available on apple pay. the next evolution of membership is here. take zzzquil and sleep like... you haven't seen your bed in days. no, like you haven't seen a bed in weeks! zzzquil. the non habit forming sleep-aid that helps you sleep easily and wake refreshed. because sleep is a beautiful thing. ♪ ♪ time upon a once people approached problems the way s

, you mentioned walter scott, north charleston and charleston have seen tragedy in the last several months i guess i wonder how are law enforcement officials responding? what are you hearing from community members? >> we see a number of vigils take place today. at least five here in and around charleston -- it's amazing, you know, people -- >> i think we're having audio problems, craig melvin down in charles 1207bton charleston we'll come back to you later. nine people are dead in what police have called a hate crime, the suspect in that shooting is now in custody. we'll have more for you after the break. audible safety beeping audible safety beeping audible safety beeping the nissan rogue with safety shield technologies. the only thing left to fear is you imagination. nissan. innovation that excites. [ male announcer ] at northrop grumman, we've always been at the forefront of advanced electronics. providing technology to get more detail... ♪ ♪ detect hidden threats... ♪ ♪ see the whole picture... ♪ ♪ process critical information and put it in the hands of our defenders. reach

this show and more. >>> we start in charleston. the reverend clementa pinckney had a beautiful voice. he had a big, big beautiful voice. >> the grandmother's prayer. lord, let me be free of not me, my children, if not my children, my children's children. >> deferred gratification. >> so we have an obligation, a legacy to uphold. people who died so that we could have the right to vote. the people who sacrificed so that we could one day realize the dream of a black president, a black elected officials after segregation. we have an opportunity. i think it does our -- it does the memories a disservice if we do not vote. we don't have that -- we don't have that choice. we don't have that privilege to say our vote doesn't count because history tells us differently. >> i'm sorry, but if god gave you a voice like that, god meant for you to be in charge of something. and he was. pbs tonight released that footage of that interview they did with the reverend clementa pinckney for the series, "the african-americans." he was only 41 last night

first that manhunt in charleston. our team coverage continues with nbc's dave wagner in charleston. dave? >> reporter: the hunt for the suspected gunman is on. >> this is a very dangerous individual. he should not be approached. >> reporter: police say 21-year-old dylann roof seen her on surveillance video opened fire on a bible study meeting inside wednesday night. >> this is unfathomable and unspeakable act by somebody filled with hate and with a deranged mind. >> reporter: the suspect spent more than an hour attending the bible study before opening fire on the group. officials believe it was a target attack. >> in this case there is absolutely no doubt in my mind it is a hate crime. >> reporter: eight people were killed at the scene. one victim later died at a nearby hospital. >> no waerng at all. no science at all. >> reporter: among those killed the famed church's pastor, who was a south carolina state senator. >> he was a great senator. but he took more pride in being a pastor of a congregation who relied on him for spiritual guidance. >> reporter: the church is the oldest ame

the killings in charleston mr. obama said, should serve as an all-too-familiar wakeup call. >> it doesn't have happen in other places with this kind of frequency. and it is in our power to do something about it. >> reporter: he has spoken out on mass shootings at least 14 times during his presidency from ft. hood aurora new creek, newtown and in the nation's capital. one nearly took the life of gabrielle giffords another happened at the movies. >> what if malia and sasha had been at the theater? as so many of our kids do every day. >> reporter: again at sandy hook elementary a day the president described as his worst in office. >> these tragedies must end. to end them we must change. >> president pushed for a new measure that would have required background checks on firearms sold at gun shows and on-line. >> gabrielle giffords deserves a vote. the families of oak creek and tucson and blacksburg and the countless other communities ripped open by gun violence they deserve a simple vote. >> reporter: but after a massi

this is the heart of historic district of charleston. this is an area they don't have a lot of crime. the community is reeling over this. >> dave wagner live from charleston south carolina. thank you. our nbc affiliate in charleston has a personal die to the story. she had a close call involving her own family member. >> that was my mother-in-law's church. i knew she was in that church in fact left minutes before that bible study started. >> little bit more now about the church. the emanuel ame church is the oldest in the south and oldest black congregation south of baltimore. it's nearly as old as the country dating back to 1787 as free blacks and slaves worshipped >> clinton addressed the shooting. >> it is important people get the facts. the terrible incident in charleston was a result of seeing the facts of having information. >> last night clinton sent out this tweet regarding last night's shooting in charleston saying, quote, my thoughts and prayers are with you all. >> jeb bush cancelled a meeting for charleston today polling the

eastern time in charleston. they are hoping to give more information about how they are conducting the search. earlier tonight, they had several streets closed down around the area because of a bomb threat at the time. they have cleared that bomb threat. it is no longer a concern of theirs. they started to open up the streets. people in the area feel cautious anyway. a restaurant and couple of bars closed early to be on the safe side. there is a lot of uncertainty in the area this morning. >> to be clear, a lot of tension in charleston. a killer on the loose. a suspect who gunned down nine people inside one of the city's most famous churches. ashley killough on the phone with us. ashley, what can you tell us about the shooting itself? how many details at this point are known? what are witnesses saying? >> reporter: very little details that are known. we know the police officers received the phone call around 9:05 p.m. eastern time. typical. a lot of churches meet wednesday night. especially in the south. people

she was a librarian here in charleston. she also worked for the charleston housing authority. when they're mother died she became kind of the maternal person in the family. they really looked up to her. she was the mother hen of a group of boys. i think it's important as we take a look at the picture of the suspect to know the human toll that he took nine really vibrant people nine people who were really important to their families and very important to this community as well. you mentioned the pastor of the church the senior pastor who was not only a prominent member of this community, he was a prominent member of the state senate. passed important lenlgislations. people here miss him tremendously. just been less than 24 hours. >> it's just so heartbreaking. it's been a long 12 hours. thank you for being with us. let's bring in retired chief lenny depaul as well as former fbi profiler. thank you both for being with us. lenny, i'll start with you, the suspect was caught 200 plus miles away. and wasn't surprised when he was -- or i guess didn't put up a fight at that point. doe

. >> massacre in charleston. the shooting rampage at an historic black church. >> these people were in church. they were in church! and there is violence in the sanctity of that? >> tonight, what one official calls a hate crime. >> this is unfathomable, unspeakable act. somebody filled with hate. >> the victims gunned down during bible study. who they were and what they leave behind. the suspect. >> we do know once again innocent people were called in part because someone who wanted to inflict harm had no trouble getting their hands on a gun. >> and the question about guns and race in america. >> we begin in charleston, south carolina, with the latest on the mass shooting at an historic black church. an act of evil that has shocked that city and the nation. you're looking at a picture, a live picture of downtown charleston where last night a man open fired in at the emmanuel ame church. thousands crowd to mourn together. this is the suspect dillon storm roof. just moments ago the police released this mug shot. ma

also, just over an hour ago charleston pastor nelson b. rivers iii made his own appeal in a speech that seems destined for history. >> so i come by to tell you, i know, i know you're telling me that you can't take the flag down. i know you are telling me that it's too late. it can't be done. but i got a recommendation for you, members of the house, members of the senate, if you want to do a living testimony to these nine lives, you will take that flag down. you will take it down! >> all right. joining us now is another south carolina leader who has called for the removal of the confederate flag from the state house grounds. state senator shaheen, thank you for taking your time tonight. let me just start for people that don't know nationally the sort of intricacies of south carolina politics, this news that this state representative, doug brannon, a republican state representative, says he's going to introduce this bill to get rid of the confederate flag from the capitol grounds, what does that do to the political debate in south carolina?

how is charleston reacting? >> yesterday we were here at the church and this sidewalk behind me heather the line was down to the intersection which is probably you know, quarter of a mile. people were here bringing flowers. you can see the flowers behind me balloons. you have a group of ministers. they brought this cross that was down here and they all joined together and they prayed together. you had dads bringing their kids trying to teach them a history lesson. we talked to one of the individuals. take a listen. >> i saw a moment that will never be forgotten about this town. that's thea shame. this isn't the charleston they grew up in and i grew up in. just a sad day. >> what made you want to come to the church today? >> just to see and celebrate all of the people they died and how they are in a good place now. >> if there is a silver lining in all of this yesterday we saw a tourist and we saw locals blacks, whites, republicans, trying to unify as a church. >> we will check back with you. >>> innocent unsuspe

i think what needs to be done in charleston and i think what needs to be done, as well beyond charleston is to start a real dialogue. people are rallying across the country about the horror of what's happened and it's bringing people together. i think the challenge is that we have to stay together, have some honest conversations with our diversity, about our culture and make it so that the kind of thing because this is no longer acceptable conversation. >> jonathan martin now rejoins us from charleston. what's going on in the community today? >> john henry, as we mentioned there are a number of judge r. vigils that have happened and a number of others that will happen today and this weekend. there's one at 6:00 today. really we understand the naacp and some of the family members of these nine victims will be coming together for a special prayer vigil and again no details at this point on specific arrangements for funerals, i should say for these victims. throughout the day a lot of people coming by here and the vigil planned tonight to remember these folks. >> jonathan martin in charlest

he remembered our brothers and sisters in charleston. again, senator from charleston, thank you for invoking their name. david said how good and pleasant it is to dwell together in unity. he gave two examples, the oil running down aaron's head to toe, even the hem of his garment. and the vision of the waters falling upon the mountain, down upon the land. and, of course the vision is eternal life, preens with god. the picture in his -- the balm of gilliad, the covering. i'm so blessed to be among you and i will say this, how good it is to dwell together in unity. i would rather be with you together in this unity than in any other state in this country. but i don't feel this unity. so as i tell you that i have spoken already with the president pro tem, the majority leader, the minority leader, as i speak to my constituents of my state, the world i can tell you that i pray that we will continue to embrace each other in disagreement. so i'm not voting for an adjustment. my trust is god knows my heart. i'll be able to continue to be benefited

earlier she started off by talking about the charleston shooting. nine people have died in that shooting and she said it was heart breaking and dastardly. the fbi has identified the suspect, a man named 21-year-old dylan roof. and police say he sat with the group for about an hour before he began shooting killing nine people including the pastor. >> reporter: reports of gunfire at the this church at 9:05 wednesday night brought police racing to a grizzly scene. >> initially identified eight victims decide of the church that had suffered gunshot wounds. earlier we told you that there were two victims that were transported to musc. there was actually one victim that was transported to musc and that individual is deceased as well. >> reporter: confirmed among the dead was the church pastor he was also a democrat police senator who campaigned for police body cameras. >> the loss of the senator is just a great loss to the community, along with all of the others. >> reporter: earlier police summoned the media, seeking help in identifying the main suspect.

. >>> tonight, heartbreak and shock in charleston. the stunning massacre in one of this city's most sacred places. why did a young man walk into a historic black church with praying parishioners and shoot them in cold blood? nine lives lost in an instant. >> this is pure evil. >> tonight the 13-hour manhunt and the hate crime investigation now under way. the photos of the suspect wearing racist symbols, his troubled history and the gun he had just gotten as a birthday present and the victim, a coach, librarian, recent college graduate, their stories as our special coverage from charleston starts now. >> announcer: charleston church massacre. this is "nbc nightly news." reporting tonight from charleston south carolina, savannah guthrie. >>> good evening from this beautiful city where what unfolded just a few steps from here last night is almost too much to bear. it happened at the emanuel episcopal church mother emanuel, as everyone calls it wednesday night prayer service and bible study, all welcome, no questions asked. a young man wa

remove it now to honor charleston victims. president obama tweeted, good point, mitt. >> it memorializes the confederacy. it was vandalized. people say people spray painted the message black lives matter on the statue. authorities say it's not skately clear when it happened but they said it will be scrubbed off immediately. >>> all right. breaking news this morning. the taliban claiming responsibility for an attack on afghanistan's parliament building in kabul. this is a video after a car bomb explosion. you can see smoke filled the air there. kabul's policemen said gunmen armed with rockets and ak-47s entered a nearby building but weren't able to get into the nearby parliament building because of security. all mps were evacuated unharmed. unclear whether there were other casualties there. >>> fire crews rushed to a plane at new jersey's newark airport after the engine began throwing off sparks. authorities say the express jet flight for united airlines preparing to take off for savannah georgia, when the pilot noticed sparks

harry smith, nbc news charleston. "way too early" starts right now. >>> i had got off the exit and called todd and said i think i have just pass had the boy that killed those people in charleston last night. >> the suspect captured. we'll go inside the search with the people that helped track him down. we'll hear from a friend that said when he heard the news of the shooting quote, i didn't think it was him, i knew it was him. >> among the victims, a coach and a patriarch described by her family. this is "way too early." >>> good morning. it's friday june 19th. i'm ayman. we begin in charleston south carolina where the suspect charged with killing nine at a historic african-american church is in custody a man hunt aided by pure luck led local and law enforcement officials to find dylann roof. after waiving expedition he was flown back to south carolina in shackles. roof is accused of going to emanuel ame church sitting in an hour before killing nine people including some of the most senior members. let's goes to david

the shooting happened at the church in downtown charleston. nine people killed, six women three men, and looting the pastor of the church. we know that the police are labeling this as a hate crime. the mayor of charleston, mayor joe reilly saying that the suspect is now in custody where he will "always remain." we will continue to follow the details in this breaking news this afternoon. we want to get the marci gonzalez, with the latest from charleston. marcy: such sadness and disbelief, the road leading to the church is still blocked people have been coming by all morning, leaving behind flowers. prayers brought the victims last night. prayers. more today. nine victims shot to death in what investigators called hate crime. >> this has no place in a civilized society. marci: an arrest after the police searched for this man outside the church, identified as 21-year-old dylann roof, who got away in this black hyundai. investigators say that he sat for an hour with prisoners before starting his gruesome rampage last night. >> this is an extremely

we'll be back with martha in charleston in just 30 seconds. >>> and we are back in charleston mother emanuel church reopening this morning for the first time the church at canpacitycapacity, a crowd gathered outside the church as well. listening on loud speakers. reverend sander welcoming the crowd in early, saying despite the events of the week we are remindd that we serve a god that still cares. let's listen in. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >>> i was inside that church just a short time ago the grace of those parishioners the grace of this city coming together, is incredible. and now i'm going to toss it back to you, jon, in washington. >> steve, what do you think watching that scene? >> it's a very simple scene, a very moving scene and it reminds me of the way the victims' families as we heard earlier in the program have been offering forgiveness to the accused shooter here and even it was amazing to me early in the hour hearing victims' families who were apologetic who couldn't get to forgiveness yet. that's deeply moving. this adds to that. >> the way the whole commun

historic church in charleston, south carolina. the man suspected of shooting and killing them is expected to appear in court later today. >>> good morning. welcome to wusa9 at 6:00 a.m. today is friday, june 19. i'm andrea roane. >>> i'm nick giovanni. we'll have a live report from charleston in just one moment. first we'll take a look outside. larry miller has your timesaver traffic. erica gross and allyson rae tracking the temperatures. >> they have dropped a few degrees compared to yesterday. we'll still see temperatures rebound to the upper 80s. looking at a few stray showers south of leesburg. we're going to dry out for much of the day. headed back to the mid-80s. clouds will hang around and a few stray showers. afternoon showers and thunderstorms, once again we'll be tracking those coming up a little bit later. >>> turning now to the latest in the charleston church massacre. >> police say a 21-year-old shot and killed nine people wednesday night inside the emanuel a.m.e. church. we'll go straight to craig boswell live in cha

mother emanuel is located in downtown charleston. it's a designated tourist place and most certainly is the mother church of the south. and it is a known part of the fabric of this community since its inception. we've been a part of the social movement in the state of south carolina and in the city of charleston. and we continue to do that the current pastor, pastor pinckney. this is typical of what mother emanuel is all about. it's inclusive and diverse. we also speak up for those who are unable to speak up for themselves. >> we know that the church it is not the building it's a people who are in that church who give their lives to spreading the word of god as you've done. but to know that this individual -- if the reports are accurate, sat there for an hour and the congregation allowed him in the welcoming spirit that exists there ubnbeknownst to them that he was plotting to take lives. >> it's a reminder to all of us that evil is still in the world and we must overcome evil with expanding the good -- >> reverend, i'm so sorry, i h

we begin with breaking news out of charleston south carolina. a bible study at one of the nation's most historic african-american churches turns into a violent massacre. now, nine people are dead and a massive manhunt under way for the gunman. police have just released these new photos of the man they believe opened fire around 9:00 p.m. eastern last night at the emanuel chump.rch. authorities are calling on the public for help. they say the gunman is believed to be in his early 20s, 5'9" he has sandy blond hair. we're learning dhilingchilling new details including there were young children inside the church. all this as the department of justice prepare to open a hate crimes investigation. tell us more nick. >> reporter: good morning, carol. an active manhunt is under way for the suspect described as a white male 5'9" with a slender build, sandy blood hair. police are looking for him actively throughout the city of charleston. also involved in this church regional authorities, folks from washington, d.c. and the fbi. new information just into u

jonathan martin he's live in charleston. jonathan the suspect is due in court in just over an hour. >> that's right. he is expected to be in court at 2:00 eastern, and we understand he will be charged officially with nine counts of murder. one of the questions is will he face the death penalty. the governor says she hopes -- >> jonathan we're going to have to step away from you in just a moment. this is the naacp reverend getting ready to speak in charleston south carolina. let's listen in. there appears to be a few moments before the reverend brooks gets ready to speak. reverend brooks himself an ame minister minister. he understands this world very well, and has been very moved by the events in the last few days. he shooting he called it morally incomprehensible, and a cowardly obscene act and we are hearing something about -- now, let's see -- are we hearing -- something about 2:00? are we hearing 2:00? there's a bond hearing at 2:00 of course, for dylann roof at which point he will make his first appearance here. let's l

. >> reporter: is he in the charleston area? >> we have no reason to believe he's not in the charleston area. he could be outside and we are sending this information broadly across all our law enforcement partners not only in the charleston region but on the east coast. >> reporter: any photo? >> as i said earlier, we believe this is a hate crime. that's how we are investigating it. we'll talk more at 7:00. anything about the suspect or the suspect vehicle? okay. >> reporter: have you contacted other local law enforcement? >> we have communication to other local law enforcement and throughout the united states. the communication is in place. the same information you have has been broadcast to law enforcement at the local, state and federal level all across the united states. [ [. >> we have agents all over the city along with law enforcement partners. so we'll be looking for this individual and this car just like everyone else. this is an all hands on deck effort with the community as well as law enforcement. and i think with th

did he intentionally target the historic charleston church? we're going to hear from people who know him, including his family. >>> common grief. this hour

immediately, the mayor of charleston and the police chief of charleston, both white before roof was caught but after the massacre said this is a hate crime, a very straightforward statement. the fact is, south carolina is one of five states, along with georgia, think wyoming and indiana -- these states do not have hate crime legislation. can you talk about what it means to be a hate crime and whether you think this is outright terrorism and what that would mean if we called it that? >> this is clearly a hate crime. the perpetrator said as much. we have seen the pictures of him on his facebook page brandishing the flag of rhodesia now zimbabwe, and the days when it was basically a white supremacist state, the old apartheid south africa. so we know something about the ideology of this deeply misguided person. but it is also an act of terror, and it has to be connected historically to the long reign of terror perpetrated against african-american communities. he said to one of the survivors yes, i'm going to allow you to survive so you can tell the story. all we had asked what worth does the s

fbi flew him here to charleston earlier today from north carolina. he has a bond hearing at 2:00 pm tomorrow. in the meantime you can see a lot of people gathering throughout the night in front of the church where the nine people were murdered a little over 24 hours ago. a stream of individuals, some talking about exactly what the issues are, racism, gun control. many discussions on the streets. earlier we had a woman with bagpipes showing her report. the streets went silent after she ended her talent. we are taking it in here. it's a sad moment in charleston and another moment of reflection where america has to dig in and figure out what need to change so this doesn't happen again. we are told that the suspect's room-mate said that dillon was perhaps planning this for the past six months. a question raised is why the room-mate never brought this to the attention of authorities, who knows. sensitive subject. we need answers. and we'll find that in the day's coming as funerals begin next week, and autopsies obvious the next few days. >> an emotional s