(The Post & Courier) – South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said Friday morning that the gunman who killed nine people at the downtown Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church should get the death penalty.
Dylann Storm Roof, 21, of Eastover is accused of going to the Calhoun Street church on Wednesday night and opening fire, killing nine people who were attending a Bible study.
“We will seek the death penalty,” Haley said outside the church Friday morning. “You will absolutely pay the price.
“This is pure hate.”
The FBI has said that it was investigating the shooting as a hate crime. Roof is white. The victims were black.
“There’s a very evil kid out there that we need to blame,” Haley said. “I talked to my investigators (Thursday) and they looked pure evil in the eye.”