inmates. then they were going to then drive to her home, carol, and that's where the murder of her husband was to take place. i spoke to joyce mitchell's attorney. he said, yes, she knew about the murder plot, she, she warned her husband about the plot, but he says there is no way she was involved in the planning of that murder plot. carol? >> jason carroll reporting live. thanks so much. and thank you for joining me today. i'm carol costello. "at this hour with berman and bolduan" starts now. this is cnn breaking news. hello everyone. i'm kate bolduan. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. >> and i'm john berman live in charleston, south carolina, over my shold ser the emanuel church, the oldest african-american church in the south. it cuts a humble yet majestic presence in this city and it was the site where last night at about 9:00 nine people, six

women and three men, were gunned down inside that church. as we speak there is a manhunt under way for the man responsible for this crime. there is a black truck set up outside this church right now, sort of a command presence by law enforcement investigating this murder, and there has been a break in the investigation over the last several minutes. police here in charleston say they have a name of the suspect. his name is dylann roof, 21 years old. it was his picture they put out with the sandy blond hair, about 5' 5'9", a thin build. he was wearing that gray sweatshirt driving the black hyundai. he's from lexington, south carolina, about a two-hour drive northwest from charleston and right now there is a huge manhunt under way to find this killer. again, six women were killed, three men were killed at this

church behind me last night. just a few hours ago we heard from the mayor and the police chief about this manhunt. >> because of the pain and because of the hurt that this individual has caused this community, this entire community, the law enforcement agencies that are working on this committed, and we will catch this individual. >> this is an unfathomable and unspeakable act by somebody filled with hate and with a deranged mind. and as chief mullens said, this person is dangerous. we need every tip we can get to bring this person into custody as soon as possible and, of course, we'll make sure that he pays the price for this horrible

act. >> this church has been so key in the history of this city. it was founded while slavery still existed here. it has thrived for more than 150 years, and the structure that exists now went up in the 1890s and has been a center of cultural and political meaning ever since. investigators are looking at this as a hate crime. they said this man, again his name is dylann roof, went into this church and said he wanted to kill black people, and there is a more riffic detail, yet another horrific detail, he left at least one person alive, there are three survivors, but he told at least one she was being left alive to tell everyone what happened inside. of course, south carolina has been the site of so many political campaigns and it's the site of a political complain right now. hillary clinton was in charleston yesterday, jeb bush was scheduled to be here today. he has canceled his event but there were a great many

political reporters who were here to cover them who shifted their focus to what happened last night. robert was here yesterday, he's been up all night covering the situation, seeing the developments as they take place. robert, you describe scenes of grief like you have never seen before. >> i was just over at the embassy suites which is a block away. the governor came in to meet with the families on the second floor. i was there 12 hoursing a when the families first started congregating. i have never seen a scene like it, the screaming, the tears. because these people were asked to move over there, 50 ame pastors joined them and they were broken the news almost minute by minute over the course of the night. >> and it happened -- we understand this man walked into the church around 8:00 last night during some kind of prayer meeting. he lingered for an hour or so before then opening fire. >> i spoke with chief mullen about this, and he said it's unlike almost anything he's ever heard about. the killer comes in around 8:00, sits with the congregation, with

this prayer group for about an hour, and then opens fire, and according to witnesses i have spoken to, they tried to discourage him from doing so, behe just kind of flipped a switch and started to attack. >> any sense how much of a head start he got between the time of the shooting and when police were on the scene to investigate the situation? >> when i spoke to the mayor, long time mayor here, riley, he said it was such a chaotic scene, that the people were grieving inside, they were hurt, some were dead, and the police weren't sure where this person went. he was a suspect who was able to flee pretty easily. that's why they're canvassing the entire city. you have the search throughout the suburbs, throughout the whole town. >> school is out in south carolina. why? because it's hot. it's 100 degrees. kids are not in school. i talked to some parents of kids. essentially what people are being told here is just be vigilant, be alert but the city is up and running. >> that's an important point. when i spoke to the mayor about an hour ago, he said this city

still has traffic moving. he said this is one person, he called him a madman, and he said this person does not define charleston, south carolina, the city he's represented as mayor for nearly four decades. >> the suspect's name is dylann roof, 21 years old from lexington, south carolina, which is about two hours or so from here. he was driving a black hyundai. i believe they identified him from the plates on this vehicle. they have these images of him now that they have his name. they may be able it get more clear images of him and they're asking the public to be on the lookout for this man, to look for him. police investigators want your help. obviously be careful. call authorities. don't do anything yourself. this church, again, this church has been a presence in this community for more than 150 years. it is called mother emanuel here in the community because of its crucial role. >> it is the heart of the faith community here in the city of charleston. this is a police where martin

luther king has been. he has stepped through those doors. he has preached to that congregation. it is a place that has a civil rights leg sa. it has a political place in the community. of course, the pastor was also a state senator. it has a powerful presence, and you heard the mayor and the police chief talk today about it. it's a gathering for service, for people to be nurtured in their relationship with their family. it's devastating for the city but especially for the people who aregoers there. >> and the victims. we know six women, three men. we know the identity of one of those killed, clementa pinckney, who is a leader, a pillar in this community. >> i have spoken to about a dozen of his friends in about the last 30 minutes and you just keep hearing the same thing, a bill man, tall, booming voice a baritone, but such a gentle way about him. he was a fast riser in state politics, got involved early. caught the eye of even "the washington post" david broder years ago as a rising star. just tragic. >> it is tragic and, robert, i know you have been up all night.

you have been right in the middle of all this. we thank you for your work and your sensitivity all night. robert costa, "the washington post." thanks so much. again, this was developing at about 8:00 is when this man dylann roof, the alleged suspect, walked in that church behind me right now, sat there for an hour before he opened fire killing nine people. all night the mayor and the police chief have been briefing reporters. let's listen a little more to the mayor right now. >> we can catch this no-good, horrible person and see that he pays the price, and then what we will do and what this community has always done is we're going to put our arms around that church and that church family. >> again, nine people killed, six women, three men. we do not know the identities of all. authorities are trying to notify

the families of all the people killed. we know there were three survivors, one of whom we believe was wounded. one of the survivors horrifically we are told was kept alive by this murderer so that she could tell people what happened inside. the one victim whose name we don't know is the reverend clementa pinckney. he's also a state senator. he is a pillar in this community and a man beloved by so many. one of those men who calls him a friend is with me right now. david mack, a state representative here. tell me about your friend who so many people call clem. >> well, you cannot use too many great adjectives to describe him. we came in the south carolina house of representatives together. he was 19 years old and i was nowhere near that mature when i was 23 but a great pastor, phenomenal public service. he was able to blend the two in terms of being a servant whether it was a legislator, as an elected official, or whether it

was a pastor. he cared whether people had food to eat. he cared whether people had shelter. he cared whether people had health care. that is who he is, and to be so young and so focused and so driven to do the right thing always fighting for people's quality of life, he was a special person. >> and as you said, he worked a dual job. he was at the state capitol during the day and made it back here last night to be part of the bible study behind us. and this killer was in the room for more than an hour before he opened fire, but it goes to show how welcoming he and the community was to allow someone presumably they had never seen before in the room. >> emanuel ame church called mother emanuel is a very, very warm, warm church. of course, that church is really not the building but the people, and as with all great leaders p

leaderships, reverend pinckney created a culture of leadership and a culture of compassion and caring. that's why this community is so broken up right now. we're going to need time to heal individually and collectively and to move on. it's a cliche but true, as he would want us to move on. >> and the community will need to come together. all the churches here, all the leaders here, black and white will need to band together because there is no answer as to why. >> there is no answer. you remember the three little girls in alabama where they bombed the church. also dr. martin luther king -- >> hang on one second. the attorney general loretta lynch is speaking right now about the tragedy. let's listen to what she says. >> the u.s. attorney's office is working closely with our state and local partners and we stand ready to offer every resource, every means, and every tool that we possess in order to locate and to apprehend the perpetrator of this barbaric crime. acts like this one have no place

in our country and no place in a civilized society, and i want to be clear, the individual who committed these acts will be found and will face justice. as we move forward in this matter, my thoughts and prayers and those of our entire law enforcement community here at the department of justice and around the country are with the families and loved ones of the victims in charleston. even as we struggle to comprehend this heartbreaking event, i want everyone in charleston and everyone who has been affected by this tragedy to know that we will do everything in our power to help heal this community and make it whole again. i encourage the people of charleston, south carolina, and the wider area to continue circulating the photos of the alleged perpetrator and report any tip no matter how small, no matter how minor to the tip line which can be reached at 1-800-call fbi. thank you. and now, today's announcement, today i am joined by secretary

sylvia burwell -- >> all right. that was attorney general loretta lynch. he's sholding another event on medicare fraud. but before that started she wanted to talk about the crime that was committed behind me at the emanuela me church last night. she announced there's a federal investigation and the federal government is deeply involved. i'm sure it will be treated as a hate crime. they're investigating it as a hate crime. she asks the community at large and around the country to be on the lookout for the man, the suspect right now. the suspect is a man named dylann roof. we don't want to put too much attention on the name of this person or glorify what he did or prop him up, but right now it's important to know his name and know his face and be on the lookout for him. so now is a time when you want to recognize who this is and tell authorities if you see him. again, one more question to david mack with me right now who knew clementa pinckney. what message do you want to send right now to this community here

in charleston? >> to this community, we have to pull together. black, white, asian, latino, everyone. again, what he represented and what he would have wanted. i knew him very well. as i said, we came in together 19 years ago to the south carolina general assembly. all the accolades people are saying is very, very true. >> just one of the lives lost. there were nine lives lost, each one a tragedy in itself. david mack, representative david mack, thanks so much for being with us. kate, let's go back to you. >> thanks, john. we're going to be getting back down to the ground in south carolina with john in just a second. we heard from the attorney general as john was talking about, loretta lynch. also just into cnn, we will be hearing from the president himself a little later this hour in just about 30 minutes. president obama will be making a statement on the shooting in south carolina. he'll be making that statement from the white house. we will, of course, bring that to you live. a lot of developments coming into cnn as we speak. we're going to be following all

of the developments in this shooting massacre in south carolina but we also have this breaking news coming in from memphis police in tennessee, and they are now investigating a case involving shots fired at one of that city's african-american churches. we're told one of the church's pastors noticed bullet holes in the front door of the sanctuary last night. now, they do stress at this moment they say nothing so far indicates a connection between this and memphis, these bullets in the sanctuary door in memphis and the shooting, the charleston church attack. we'll bring you updates as we get them. we're following this breaking news throughout the morning. the hunt is on. what law enforcement is doing right now to find this man, dylann roof, in a desperate search. this is cnn special live coverage of the massacre in charleston. we'll be right back. >> this is a very dangerous individual, and we do not want more people harmed trying to approach him or trying to follow

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this is cnn breaking news. >> we have breaking news in just now to cnn. cnn's deborah feyerick is citing her sources who tell her that they do believe they have caught this suspect, dylann roof. that is according to senior law enforcement official telling our deborah feyerick who will hopefully be joining us to discuss what she is learning but the big headline is they believe they have caught this suspect that you're seeing on the screen right now, dylann roof.

to remind our viewers, he's 21 years old. he's from lexington, south carolina. he is the suspect in this shooting massacre at the emanuel ame church in downtown charleston, south carolina. senior law enforcement officials tell deborah feyerick he has been caught. they have been tracking him all morning as this shooting happened overnight. for more on this, let's continue to discuss all of this breaking news that is coming in right now. let's bring in two law enforcement officials that we lean on very heavily all the time, richard schwein, and also with us is cnn law enforcement analyst and former fbi assistant director tom fuentes. tom, a lot of information coming in. deborah feyerick is hearing from a senior law enforcement official that they have caught this 21-year-old, dylann roof. what in terms of the investigation, this intense manhunt that's been going on overnight for this suspect, what all will be going on right now,

tom? >> well, i think first of all, kate, the fact they had a great photo of him in the first place and a description of the vehicle with license plate number, i think most of us were confident he would be in custody by close of business today, which has happened. so now what they'll be looking at is, is he alone? did he act by himself? they'll be looking at all of his social media postings, his phone calls, who else was he contacting, friends, neighbors, colleagues to see. there are many white supremist hate groups, unfortunately, in this country, many in south carolina. was he a member of one of them? were there people that inspired him through those groups? so actually the methodology will be very similar to whether it was an isis wannabe or an al qaeda wannabe. someone who was communicating with others, someone using social media to put out what their personal doctrine or ideology was or was he just a mentally deranged individual,

lone wolf, that wanted to do this and, yes, had possibly a hatred of blacks but in any event is not part of a big movement, let's say, or others involved in this conspiracy. >> our justice reporter, evan perez, his law enforcement sources telling him they're looking into just that, if roof has any white supremacist groups or hate groups. that's one avenue they're looking but the big news is we're hearing this 21-year-old has been caught. let's bring in deborah feyerick right now. she's the one bringing in this information. thank you so much for rushing into the studio. tell us a little more about what you're hearing. >> here is what we know so far. they but out this bolo, be on the lookout, an our ago. they had the make, the model, the license plate and the name of the driver. and the car, a car -- somebody saw the car, somebody called into authorities, and that car was picked up driving north -- to nok and so --

>> to north carolina. >> so we're being told that dylann roof is in custody in north carolina. >> in north carolina. and that comes from a tip from your law enforcement sources, and that's why they were stressing so much in these early morning press conferences, deb, to have a lookout for, first, this distinctive looking person then they had his name, his description, and that's why they kept pushing and pushing saying thee needed help from the public. >> you're exactly right. it's almost like an amber alert. when you put out a bolo, it's so you can identify and cast the widest net possible. once these shootings happen and once the individual is identified, chances are they're likely going to run. by putting out these alerts, they have more eyes on the ground and a tip came in that, in fact, he was heading up to north carolina and that's where we're being told by a source that's been briefed by investigators on the ground, that's where we believe he's in custody. >> stick with us. let's bridge in richard on this. i'm hearing from the voices in my head from our control room that the charleston police will

be holding another press briefing very shortly. we will, of course, go to that to bring that to our viewers as all of this is developing as we speak. they now have this guy in custody and it came from a tip from the public, and that's what we noticed early this morning is the police chief, the mayor, all saying over and over again, this is what we're looking for. we need your help because this guy clearly was trying to get away. >> absolutely. and i think it's a great success story and it couldn't be done without the coverage of cnn and the rest of the media. that public awareness often times leads to a successful and more importantly safe resolution in these matters. the fbi recently did a study of active shooter events from 2000 to 2013 and one of the things that came out of that study is almost a third of events end with a violent confrontation with police, so this is a great news story if, in fact, he is in

custody and he was arrested safely. >> a great news story in once sense and a horrific news story in the same breath, richard. that's for sure. about nine people being killed at the hands of a gunman and they have this suspect in custody. we're showing you his picture right here. tom, a couple of the things that have been coming out this morning i want to get your take on and what this really says. one of the things we've been hearing is that the gunman left some survivors alive, telling them he wanted them to be alive so they could go out and tell and say the story and tell the story of what happened in that church. what does that say to you? >> i think it says to me that there's an extreme degree of narcissism on his part. he just thought he was something. he wanted to be famous. he was going to do this horrific act. he didn't care if he was spotted on camera. he didn't care if his license plate and car were observed in the parking lot and then he didn't care if he left witnesses alive inside that church and, in fact, wanted to.

wanted somebody to help tell his story to the media right away as he took off and, you know, tried to make his escape and it may have only been a half-hearted attempt at escape. the fact he sat there the whole hour before he started shooting indicates cold-blooded killer. >> now we have major developments in this. deborah feyerick bringing us the breaking news that ak0ccording law enforcement they have this suspect, dylann roof, in custody. the charleston police will be holding another news briefing very soon. we'll bring that to you. richard sha wine, thank you so much. let's now go back to the ground in south carolina. let's get back over to john. >> thanks so much, kate. just to be clear, we're waiting to hear from the charleston police any minute now to brief us on this breaking news that the suspect, dylann roof, is now in custody. apparently caught in shelby,

north carolina, which is about three hours and 45 minutes from here. the shooting took place at nine last night, 14 hours ago, and he traveled a fair distance before police or investigators or law enforcement were able to apprehend him. we're also waiting to hear from president obama who is suspected to make an announcement shortly. i imagine the president will wait for the police department here to brief first but we're expecting to hear from both very soon. in the meantime, we want to talk about the victims here, the people who were so viciously gunned down in this church behind me. six women, three men. we do not know the identities of any except for one, the pastor of this church, the reverend clementa pinckney who is also a state senator, 41 years old, a community leader. as i am finding just by being here a short time, a friend to practically everyone. and one of his true friends is with me now, former state representative bocari sellers.

>> he is a baritone voice and i think it was that way because he spoke for so many people. our districts overlapped. he was my state senator for a period of time in a poor area of the county and he was always there. he loved to serve our people. he loved to serve his lord, and, you know, if clem had to go out any way it's in prayer serving his lord and his people. >> as i look up to you, about a foot above me, i keep hearing that clem, the state senator, was an enormous man. >> he was an enormous man but he didn't speak loudly. he wasn't angry, but when he spoke people listened. you know, one of the things that i think about and people talk about the shooter and people talk about this and that, i think about his two kids and it being father's day and it's just tough. it really is tough here. >> it breaks your heart. how old were his kids? >> they were young. >> young kids and he's just one

of the nine victims here at this church right now. you said he liked to speak, he was a leader, and he had the pemp from which to lead in this community, this historically significant church. >> not only was he a leader in the church community but he was a leader in the political community. i remember when i was running for lieutenant governor and there weren't many people who believed in me, not only did he pray for me, he prayed with me. even though we lost, he said keep your head up. you know, we're going to miss him. it's a hole in the hearts of everyone. we made a lot of 3r0 gres in the state of south carolina but that progress is very fragile. one of the things we're leaning on black and white and democrat and republican alike, we have to make sure people don't tear us apart. >> keep your head up is a message he would send. talk to me about this church, mother emanuel. >> the ame church, it's the backbone for political progress not only in south carolina but

throughout the country. and, you know, i was speaking to a reporter earlier and i think some people don't know on wednesday night everybody knows in the black church, you're in bible study. that's when you go to bible study. you probably have choir rehearsal on tuesday or thursday and then you're in church all day sunday morning. and so he was large. he loomed large in both the political arena and the religion arena. >> we just heard from the fbi, confirmation from the fbi itself that the alleged shooter, dylann roof, 21 years old, is in custody in shelby, north carolina. about three hours and 45 minutes from here. and in many ways we don't want to put too much attention on this alleged killer. the attention should be on those who suffered, but has this church ever been a target before recently? >> well, not recently, but this church -- you have to understand, it was co-founded by demar vesy -- >> who staged a slave rebellion. >> it's one of the oldest churches in the south. this is not just any church.

this reminds us of birmingham. it reminds us of the poor little girls. medgar evers, walter scott and jimmy lee jackson. there's so much pain and hopefully we can -- i don't know. i'm 30 but i'm tired of seeing it. >> i'm 43 and i think we're all tired of seeing it. we do understand, we do understand that this man said he wanted to kill black people in there, and if that is your deranged goal, this is a well-known target to do it. >> well, you know, mr. berman, if you can't be black in the church, where can you be black in this country anymore? >> good point. it is being investigated as a hate crime right now. what's the community doing over the next several hours and several days to heal? >> just hugging, kissing, and there's an old hymn that we're going to get on our bended knees with our face to the rising sun

and just pray, o, lord and just help us on this day. >> your friend, the state senator, reverend pinckney, i think he'd be proud. so thanks so much. kate? >> all right. thanks so much, john. we're going to get back to the ground in charleston, south carolina, in just a moment. i want to head over to the white house though right now. bring in our white house correspondent michelle kosinski where she is standing by right now. the president will be speaking shortly. he will be making remarks about this shooting massacre at the church in charleston. michelle, what are you picking up? >> reporter: hi, kate. right. all morning we've been waiting to hear a statement from the white house. we expected them to put out a statement. we've been waiting for that for hours as everyone seems to be weighing in on this. now we know why the white house has been silent up to this point. that the president himself will deliver a statement just about 20 minutes away right now before he departs on a trip to

california. we did hear the attorney general, loretta lynch, speak on this not too long ago saying acts like this have no place in this country, no place in a civilized society. we expect him to reiterate that. and we also found out a little bit more about the victim, the preacher in the church, that not long ago, a couple years ago he had within the state senate in south carolina, he had proposed this resolution of gratitude to president obama directly for speaking at an event down there in south carolina. so it seems like president obama may have had contact with him, may even know this man personally. we're waiting to hear if he'll say something along those lines, too. maybe his personal reaction to that and having spent time with him in south carolina at the very least at this event. and the last several months we've seen lots of statements from the white house, several statements on race specifically from president obama, and this -- >> michelle -- >> -- is one more instance where he will have to weigh in.

>> stand by with me. leads head back over and listen to the attorney general lor ret lynch. she's speaking one more time about the shooting. >> will this be prosecuted by the state? >> when we have a case like this, we look at where the facts take us. certainly this is an egregious crime. certainly this is a homicide investigation and we understand that there are families who are grieving incredibly for the loss of their loved ones. but, again, we will now be looking at all of the facts, all of the motivations, all of the things that led to this individual, if he is in fact the shooter, to commit this crime and they will determine which are the best ways in which to prosecute the case. >> since the state can pursue the death penalty, what would be the better -- what would be the factor that is would lead you to have it be a federal prosecution? >> you know, at this point it's really premature to determine which is the best venue either state or federal, to pursue this matter. first, we must confirm this

individual is involved in it. we must confirm the nature of his involvement. we must confirm his motivations, his intentions. so it's really premature at this point to say what would determine that. we do look at a number of factors. >> can i direct a question to director comey please, if that's possible. first of all, great graduation speech you gave the other day. it was very inspiring. and so this is not really an example of effective communication but i have a multipart question on the same topic. is there anything that you can tell us that you've learned about the motivation of this individual, where he obtained the firearm, whether there was any threat to the church ahead of time, and whether there have been any threats to any other churches? anything at all you can tell us on those points. >> i'm not going to walk all the way over to give you a nonanswer. i'll let the boss give you the same answer. >> no, we're not going to be discussing details of the investigation at this time. certainly and as i mentioned before, now that we have someone

in custody, we will be conducting as full and as thorough an investigation rising out of that circumstance building on the cooperative work that we have with our state and local partners in south carolina. >> director comey, on a related topic, is there any guidance you're giving field offices in terms of outreach to faith communities after this? >> as a result of the shooting last night? >> yes. >> the answer is not yet. >> but you will? >> the attorney general can answer this one better than i can as well. it's something we think about and do quite often. >> if you can step to the mic? >> i can say with respect to this particular case, as with all case that is involve a faith-based institution, be they a church or a mosque, they have outreach efforts. we do coordinate at the local level to reach out to members of the faith-based community who may be either directly affected by this or certainly would have concerns about a matter like this. the type and nature of that

outreach would depend upon the nature of the case or the crime and also where people are located. but certainly there is outreach going on, that will continue. i can also let you know that the department of justice's civil rights division is on the ground in charleston and the community relations service is on the ground in charleston and they work with all aspects of the community when there's been an event like this. >> do you have any plans -- >> attorney general, can you provide us an update on your investigation into the hack of opm by the chinese? >> at this point that still is a matter also active investigation so i'm not able to provide any specifics about that. i'm sorry. >> director comey, as long as we're off the topic here, may i ask you about a different concern these days, and that's this increasing number of arrests we're seeing in isis cases. >> we're hearing right now there from the attorney general, loretta lynch, giving an update as we've been listening in on what she knows and what she has

to say about the shooting, the shooting massacre, the mass shooting in charleston, south carolina. the attorney general calling this an egregious crime, she says. she says it's absolutely obviously a homicide and they are looking into all of the facts and the motivations behind this shooting. she obviously acknowledged that they have a suspect in custody and obviously looking to confirm and to see if this person, this man you see right here, 21-year-old dylann roof, if -- he is the suspect, they have him in custody -- if he is the gunman and they say they are looking into and they will be taking more time to consider if this is a case that will be prosecuted on the federal or state level. we're waiting to hear from president barack obama. we've been informed he will be speaking, making a statement about this mass shooting. you obviously want to hear his thoughts as we wait and we've seen on some social media that he has also reached out to some local politicians in south

carolina. we'll be getting an update from the white house shortly. let's head back to the ground and john berman on the ground in charleston. >> we will also be hearing from charleston police very shortly on the news that the suspect, dylann roof, 21 years old, is now in custody in shelby, north carolina, which is about 3 hours and 45 minutes from here. we will go to that news conference as soon as it happens to learn more about this man who perpetrated this heinous crime allegedly behind me right now, mother emanuel, the oldest african-american church in the south, the center of political and social growth and development in this city and throughout the south for well over 100 years. we want to focus if we can on those who were killed here, the victims, so brutally murdered at this church. we only know the identity right now of one victim, and he was an enormous man in this community. the pastor of this church, the reverend clementa pinckney. also a state senator.

joining me is a friend of this man known by everyone i have spoken to as clem. todd rutherford is the house pi north leader, the house democratic leader in south carolina. tell me about your friend. >> clem was somebody who was guided to do what was best for his community at an early age. he was called to the church according to him when he was 13. he was ordained as a minister when he was 18. elected to the house at 21 and elected to the senate at 27. he died at age 40. he died far too young but died trying to do the work for the people of south carolina and for the people of this country. that's all did he. he traveled frequently but always for his church family, always looking out for his constituents here in charleston and throughout the local country. >> and he has two young kids. >> president obama called me this morning to make sure i expressed his sympathies from the president and first lady to senator pinckney, to his family, and to the charleston family at large, and i can assure you his death will not be in vain. >> how is his family doing? >> i haven't talked to anyone but i'm sure they're devastated by the loss. with two young kids, and this is a father. this is somebody who never had a

harsh w0rd to say about anyone, who always anytime when he was in the heat of battle, would take a breath before he said anything. this is somebody who should be revered and respected. we want to know why this young man chose this church, why senator pinckney. >> can you ever get an answer that would in any way be satisfying? >> not at all but what we can make sure we do is make sure his death is not in vain. that we take the mantle and run with it. make sure people don't think churches are good targets to go in and sit and pray with people before you decide you're going to kill them. >> the worst kind of target. the most heinous kind of target. stand by right now, representative. the police in charleston are briefing on the news the suspect is in custody. >> -- as well as the community that has been partnering with us since last night when this horrific tragic event happened in the city of charleston, one

we will never forget and one that we will continue to pray for the families of the victims. we will continue to pray for our entire community. with that i am very, very pleased to announce that we have made an arrest in this case. we arrested dylann roof from lexington, south carolina. approximately 30 minutes ago he is arrested in shelby, north carolina, during a traffic stop. at this time we have not only fbi agents there but we also have s.l.e.d. and city of charleston detectives preparing to fly to shelby, north carolina, to begin the interview process as well as the evidence recovery. this case could not have been cleared as quickly as it has been if it had not been for the cooperation, the unparalleled cooperation of all the different agencies that were involved in this investigation.

i cannot say how thankful i am and how appreciative i am of all the people who came together during a very tragic situation, a horrific situation, and one that has touched the heart and soul of every person who lives in this community, and they have come together and some of them have worked tirelessly running down leads. some of them have been working with their agencies in various states. the cooperation that we've received from the federal government with all the resources as well as the state government has been unparalleled. >> he's in custody in shelby, north carolina, 3 hours and 45 minutes, and we did learn a

fascinating new detail. he was apprehended at a traffic stop in shelby, north carolina. the police chief here in charlotteton, greg mullen, wanted to thank law enforcement, local, state, and federal, and law enforcement in north carolina as well. this is a triumph of sorts for law enforcement, the fact this man was apprehended not 14 hours after the crime. let's listen back in. >> so again, i want to thank you for your vigilance being here. i know we've had you here several times and you have helped us get information out, and again it's a partnership and working with you, working with law enforcement, working with the community, i want to thank these gentlemen on my right for their cooperation and their assistance during this investigation. right from the very beginning, i know that the elder came out and said that we're together, we're galvanized, we're working together and that's what this has been throughout the night, and i am so pleased we were able to resolve this case quickly not

only for the families but for our community, for our state, and so that nobody else is harmed by this individual who obviously committed a tragic, heinous crime last night in the city of charleston. mayor? >> first of all, i want to publicly commend chief mullen and the men and women of our police department. we understand the public safety is the first responsibility of government. we invest substantially in the resources and the quality of the men and women who work for our police department and under chief mullen there is not a better led police department in our country. as chief mullen said, we've had extraordinary cooperation from

other law enforcement professionals, and when you have a chance to work on a difficult matter and see the skills and the commitment of people who have did kedicated their lives law enforcement, it is so inspirational, and because of all of that work, this very important news today is announce ed that that awful person, that terrible human being who would go into a place of worship when people were praying and kill them is now in custody where he will always remain. it's important for everyone wounded by this act, which is the church family members, the

community members, and the people of america, for in this great country we hold sacred the places where people come and practice their faiths in safety and in peace. so the arrest of this awful man is an important part for all of us in this community and in our country to begin the necessary process of our healing together. governor haley is here and she will speak in a moment. i want to thank the governor for coming down to charleston and the support we've had from the state law enforcement division and other law enforcement agencies and the fbi and the atf, the county, has been

extraordinary. thank you, governor, for your presence and interest and support. also want to announce that i received a personal call from vice president biden. he knew senator and reverend pinckney and was familiar with the emanuel ame church and morris brown where we'll be in just a few minutes, and he himself, we all know has had a tragically sad time, and he expressed heartfelt grief and offers of support. then i received a call from president obama personally that conveyed his sympathy and for the citizens of america to let us know that they were with us and his offer to make any federal resources available. i told the president that the

fbi, the atf, and the federal resources and the justice department have been extraordinary. a part of this healing process, we all need to help. so we have created the mother emanuel hope fund started with a $5,000 contribution from the city of charleston and the mother emanuel hope fund will be a vehicle for citizens in our community and around the country that want to do something to help, to contribute to that fund. obviously the wounds of the church and all those who were killed and all the expenses of funerals and all the loss and families and so much more, what we have is the an opportunity to help them, and when we help them, we also help their hearts because we all know when we're grieving, that that hug or that sign of love or support is a very important part of

renourishing our soul and the whole souls who are injured, so people can drop checks off and wells fargo. also you can mail checks to box 304 charleston 29402. we'll get this out, so we have a way that we all can help right away. not 24 hours even after this dastardly event, that the citizens in our community, in our country can help and positively respond. and then there is going to be a time where we can announce a vigil at the charleston arena which is not a block from the mother the emanuel and we will have a time to come together in prayer to mourn the losses and to come together as the community with the time of that

event tomorrow evening will be announced soon, and we will be getting that out into the media. i thank everyone who is here, as chief mullen said, the media, because we are able to arrest this the awful person in shelby, north carolina, because we got the word out. it is a good sign, and wonderful sign that in america, you know, we don't let bad people like this get away with these das dardly deeds. thank you. governo governor? >> than you, mr. mayor. and i want to thank the mayor, because he has had great leadership, but in a timef of struggle, he steps up more, and makes charleston proud and i continue to appreciate your friendship and partnership, and i want to personally thank bishop norris with the ame church family. i spoke with him this morning and even though he is in recovery he is very much in

prayer and leadership in the fact that he has asked for all of us to come to prayer in vigil at noon, and we will very much do that. but we all woke up today -- and the heart and soul of south carolina was broken. and so we have some grieving and pain that we have to go through. and parents have to explain to the their kids that they have to go to church and feel safe and that is something that we never thought that we would have to deal with. having said that, we are a strong the and faithful state the. we are a strong and faithful state, state, and we love each other, and i will tell you that there is a lot of prayer in church, andly tell you that we will try to lift these nine families nup prayer, because they need us. the nine families need us, the

ame church families need us, and the state needs us, and the country needs us. and i want you to know that the outpouring of emotion from across the country has been overwhelming are from the presidential candidates to it s citizens who just traveled through the state to any person in any walk of life, and every single person has had to put their feet in the shoes of one of those nine families today, and they all know what that felt like. and so with that, where do we go from there? we allow ourselves to grieve. we allow ourselves to pray, and we allow ourselves to question why this happens, and then we allow ourselves to heal. the healing process will start, and we are so thankful to chief mullen and his team and law enfor enforcement with f.l.e.d. and

with fbi and everybody else who came together to the refuse this to happen. i have never seen when we went through the command center such passion and personal willing ness to want to make sure they brought this person home. and so i want to the personally thank the law enforcement community, because you have allowed us to start healing, and we can now tell our children that this person is in custody, and we can now not only lift up our law enforcement community who has not slept since this happened, but thank them and the credit they the deserve and the courage they deserve, but i want to remind everybody that south carolina steps up in a way that continues to make me proud. we are seeing the love and the prayers and the support and the humility and for that, i want to tell you that i am thank ful tht we will continue to stay on standby for all of the leaders behind us who are willing to do

anything for the families in need and the church in need, but i will tell you that for that it is a very, very sad day in south carolina, but it is a day that we will get through and a day that we will remember and a day that allow us to get stronger. thank you. >> okay. we will take a few questions starting from the right. >> and you say that it was because of a traffic stop that he was apprehended, or he was stopped -- >> he was stopped because a citizen alerted him in suspicious activity, and they realized it was the individual that we were looking for. >> was he cooperative in the arrest. >> he was cooperative. >> excuse me? >> at this time -- >> we won't talk about that at this time. >> and was he -- >> we won't talk about that at this time either. >> and can you talk about this -- >> no, ma'am, we won't talk about any aspects of the

investigation still ongoing, because there is a lot of things happening, and we have to make sure that we follow all of the processe processes, and so we can't talk about those details right now. >> what is the demeanor? >> he was cooperative with the officer that stopped him. >> do you believe that he acted alone? >> yes, we don't have any reason to believe that he acted with anybody else. >> and how did you find him? >> because of a tip from a citizen, and as a result we went out to make this apprehension. >> and i know it is early in the investigation, but do you have any indication of what went from two minor arrests to the one of the largest mass killings -- >> well, that is what we will try to figure out when the investigators get to him, but right now, we don't have answers

to the question. >> where is he now? >> in shelby, znorth carolina, and we will have to work diligently to get him back here with s.l.e.d. and our detectives. >> and was he in the vehicle? >> yes, he was in the vehicle when he was approached by law enforcement. >> and where is he? >> shelby, north carolina, police department. >> does he have ties to shelby, north carolina? >> no. >> is it about 250 miles from here? >> yes. how did he get so far away? >> well, he drove. it is not that far. and he could drive and there is a number of hours between what hppened here and -- >> [ inaudible ]. >> i don't know the answer to that question, and we are obviously -- >> and the interstate and the highway, and it is not through city. >> can you give us any information about -- the jail for a little bit and what kinds

of things happened over the course of the day -- >> sure. will give you a brief overview, because of the moving parts, but the initial response was tremendous from all of the partners and people from various agencies who were here almost immediately. as i was driving to the scene from my home i was talking to chief keil from the fbi and the bosses and from that time we converged to the scene and brought to bear to to get up the 800-number quickly, and once we got the surveillance photos out, and the 1-800-number up, we started to the rereceive t-- st receive tips and that is how we

were led to the arrest. >> any admission? >> we won't talk to that. one more? >> can you talk about the location about how -- >> there were a number of tips coming in, and everybody was following those tips, and every lead that came n and i mean, it was amazing the fact that we had teams standing by, and they were almost, you know, wired to go, and whenever we got a lead in, we sent out teams of s.l.e.d. officers and fbi agents, and agents in other parts of the country and we had agents on their way here from other parts of the country to aid us. so it was a tremendous effort, and really with the team that we had working with us and the team that we had in the community, it was a tremendous push forward to make this a successful case, and now what we have to do is to continue on to make it a successful prosecution. thank you very much, and that is

all we are going to the do right now. thank you. so what you were hearing right there were from many officials in south carolina, and the police wrapping up, and we heard from the mayor and the south carolina governor nikki haley. the police chief laying out the important details right now. they have the suspect dylann roof in custody, and he was cooperative in arrest, and they do believe that he acted alone. they got a tip from a citizen who saw awe suspicious vehicle, and they acted and picked him up in shelby, north carolina, where he is right now, and the governor got emotional speaking saying that the heart and soul of south carolina was broken and they needed time to the grieve. thank you so much for joining u and i will hand you off to my colleague ashleigh banfield. ashleigh? this is cnn breaking news. hello, everyone, i'm ashleigh banfield and i want to welcome our viewers in the