Accused shooter had list of other black churches in his car
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — When he was arrested, the man accused of killing nine people during a Bible study in a Charleston church had a list of other area black churches in his car, law enforcement officials testified on Monday.
A jury began last week hearing testimony against Roof, 22, who is on trial on 33 federal charges, including hate crimes and obstruction of the practice of religion.
In his videotaped, two-hour confession played for jurors last week, Roof told FBI agents he left bullets in a magazine so that he could kill himself after the slayings but changed his mind when he didn't see any police immediately after the shooting.
Roof had been arrested for drugs two months earlier, but Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon told The Associated Press after the shootings that a jail clerk had entered incorrect information that wasn't ever fixed in a state database.
Acknowledging the role of Roof in the shootings, his defense team has been more focused on the penalty phase of the trial that will determine whether Roof faces life in prison or the death penalty if convicted.