At least three people survived the shooting at Emanuel AME Church that left nine others dead. A local NAACP chapter official reported the gunman told one female survivor that he was going to let her live, so that she could tell everyone else what happened. The woman has not been identified.
The nine victims of the shooting also have yet to be identified. Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen said that the victims included six females and three males, but he did not give any further details, the Associated Press reports. According to State House Minority leader Todd Rutherford, one of the nine killed was the church’s pastor, state Sen. Clementa Pinckney. Pinckney, age 41, was a married father of two and he was first elected to the State House at the age of 23.
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