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- 9 killed in mass shooting at AME church in Charleston, S.C.
1. Shooter confesses: While in custody Friday morning, accused shooter Dylann Roof confessed to killing nine people Wednesday night, according to CNN.
His goal was to start a "civil war" when he opened fire at the historic black Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, according to reports. Roof expressed hateful sentiments toward the black community after a Bible study class, reportedly saying, "You've raped our women, and you are taking over our country," then opened fire, authorities said.
Roof also said Friday morning that he almost considered not going through with the shooting "because everyone was so nice to him," according to NBC News sources.
2. The charges: Roof was charged Friday morning with nine counts of murder and one charge of possessing a weapon, according to The Associated Press.
3. The weapon: Roof purchased the .45-caliber handgun used in the shooting himself, according to a CNN report. His roommate said he had been planning the attack for six months, and the handgun was purchased in April.
Other reports said Roof's father bought him the handgun, while his grandfather said he was given "birthday money," but his family isn't sure what he did what the money.
4. The victims: Roof, who is white, killed nine people on Wednesday night at a historically black church, according to authorities.
Eight of them died on the scene, and one died at the hospital, according to police and media reports.
Among them was Sen. Clementa Pinckney, who was also the church pastor. He was a friend of the Obama family, having gotten close to them on the president's campaign trail.
5. How he was caught: Roof used his debit card to make a purchase at a Shelby, North Carolina, gas station at 5:45 a.m. Thursday, a few hours after the shooting, according to authorities.
The gas station attendant said she did not know that Roof was responsible for killing nine people.
FBI officials picked up surveillance video from the gas station at 8 a.m. Thursday.
Florist Debbie Dills saw Roof driving a car as she was headed to work Thursday morning.
Dills and her boss, Todd Frady, worked together to obtain the license plate number and notify authorities simultaneously.
Dills tailed the car to provide a location and confirm the tag number, while Frady contacted a friend at the Kings Mountain Police Department.
KMPD notified the Shelby Police Department of the sighting at 10:32 a.m. Roof was pulled over at 10:44 a.m. and taken into custody at 10:49 a.m., nearly 14 hours after the shootings.
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