The man suspected of shooting dead 9 people in a Church in Charleston, South Carolina, has been brought into police custody.
Dylann Roof, 21, has been flown from Shelby, North Carolina, back to the southern state where he was believed to have murdered several members of an African Methodist Episcopal bible class.
According to reports, Roof entered the church in the centre of Charleston’s tourist district where he sat for an hour before shooting six women and three men.
Amongst the victims was the church’s pastor, Rev. Clementa Pinckney.
Other victims have been names as Cynthia Hurd, 54; Susie Jackson, 87; Ethel Lance, 70; Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, 49; Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr., 74; Rev. Sharonda Singleton, 45; Myra Thompson, 59.
The youngest victim, Tywanza Sanders, was just 26-years-old.
Witnesses claim that before the shootings, Roof shockingly claimed that he 'wanted to shoot black people' before entering the church.
CNN reports that Roof was armed when he was arrested 245 miles from the scene of the massacre, but it is not yet clear whether it was the same gun used in the murders.
A source from senior law enforcement in South Carolina claims that Roof’s father had bought him a 45-caliber gun for his 21st birthday in April.
If found guilty of the murders in South Carolina, Roof would likely face the death penalty.