FBI arrests friend of alleged Charleston church shooter

A photo of Joey Meek and his two brothers.

(Image credit: Twitter.com/TheObservor)

last updated 18 September 2015

A 21-year-old friend of alleged Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof was arrested Thursday by the FBI, with a source telling The Associated Press that authorities notified him more than a month ago that he was under federal investigation for lying to them and failing to report a crime.

The source did not say what charges Joey Meek faces. Roof stayed with Meek and his family in a trailer in Red Bank, South Carolina, before he allegedly killed nine black parishioners at Charleston's Emanuel AME Church on June 17. Meek told AP that an intoxicated Roof told him before the incident that "blacks were taking over the world" and "someone needed to do something about it for the white race." Meek also said Roof had used birthday money from his parents to purchase a .45-caliber Glock semi-automatic handgun, which Meek took from him; he returned it when Roof sobered up.

Meek said he called authorities after he saw surveillance footage from the church and recognized Roof, but a federal law enforcement official said authorities don't think Meek was being honest during the investigation. Meek, who is on probation after pleading guilty earlier this year to possessing a stolen vehicle, is expected to have a hearing on Friday. Earlier in the week, Meek, his family, and his girlfriend were the subjects of a feature in The Washington Post.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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