Suspected Charleston shooter Dylann Roof indicted on federal hate crime charges

(Image credit: Randall Hill - Pool/Getty Images)

published 22 July 2015

Dylann Roof, who is accused of killing nine people in a historically black church in Charleston, South Carolina, last month, was indicted Wednesday on federal hate crime charges, law enforcement officials told The New York Times. Roof has also been charged by the state with nine counts of murder, which could earn him the death penalty.

Federal officials are intervening in the case because South Carolina does not have hate crime laws. The Justice Department could also charge Roof with killing someone while obstructing religious freedom, which is likewise punishable by the death penalty.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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