Suspected Charleston shooter Dylann Roof will likely face federal hate crime charges

(Image credit: AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

published 24 June 2015

The Justice Department will likely file federal hate crime charges against suspected Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof, 21, federal law enforcement officials said Wednesday. Roof already faces nine counts of murder and could also face the death penalty in state court.

Even with the existing charges, the federal government felt compelled to address the apparently racially motivated attack that left nine dead after an evening bible study at Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston. One law official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not allowed to publicly discuss the case, told The New York Times, "This directly fits the hate crime statute. This is exactly what it was created for." The timing of the charges remains undecided.