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Suspect in Custody after Church Shooting; Massacre Victims Drawn Together by Faith; Source: Suspect Confesses to Church Massacre. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired June 19, 2015 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: The 21-year-old inside for about an hour before opening fire with a 45-caliber pistol. One of the survivors pleaded with the gunman to stop.

SYLVIA JOHNSON, FRIEND SURVIVED CHURCH MASSACRE: After the young man tried to stop him from doing what he wanted to finish off. He said, "No, you rape our women. And you are taking over the country."

CAMEROTA: After the massacre, Roof fled the scene. And less than 14 hours later --

DEBBIE DILLS, FLORAL SHOP OWNER WHO SPOTTED SUSPECT: It was God who made this happen.

CAMEROTA: -- a floral shop owner, Debbie Dills, spots the alleged shooter more than 200 miles away in North Carolina, following Roof until police arrested him without incident.

DILLS: God heard the prayers of those people, and he just used us as vessels to get his work done.

CAMEROTA: Roof's roommate telling ABC News he was, quote, "big into segregation," alleging Roof was plotting something like this for six months. Roof's childhood friend tells the network --

JOEY MEEK, FRIEND OF DYLAN ROOF: I think he wanted something big, like Trayvon Martin. He wanted to make something spark up the race war again.

CAMEROTA: This Facebook photo revealing two flags on Roof's jacket, one from Apartheid-era South Africa, the other from the former Rhodesia, when it was ruled by a white minority, now called Zimbabwe.

MAYOR JOSEPH RILEY JR., CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: There's something weird and bad and hateful going on in his mind.

CAMEROTA: The community left reeling. The governor of South Carolina fighting back tears.

GOV. NIKKI HALEY (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: The heart and soul of South Carolina was broken. And so we have some grieving to do. And we've got some pain we have to go through.

CAMEROTA: President Obama said he and Michelle personally knew several members of the historic Emanuel AME Church.

OBAMA: To say our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families and their community doesn't say enough to convey the heartache and the sadness and the anger that we feel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Well, it is not clear if Roof's roommate went to authorities. But Joey Meeks [SIC] told ABC News that he had not. And it's not clear why he didn't. So CNN has reached out to both the roommate and Meek.

And Michaela now, again, is just a couple of blocks away from the church. And she has a look at how the victims of the massacre are being drawn together this morning by their faith.

Good morning, Michaela.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN HOST: Yes, you know, I'm so moved standing beside this beautiful church, Mother Emanuel, as the locals call it. The city known as "The Holy City," because the number of churches, places of worship here in the city of Charleston.

The people that came here came to study the Bible, to pray. But only a handful walked out of this church alive. And now, family and the friends of the nine victims, they're facing the gut-wrenching truth that they will never see their loved ones again.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA (voice-over): From the heart of the tragedy in South Carolina --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our hope is in God.

PEREIRA: -- to the historic walls of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Georgia, thousands came to mourn nine of Charleston's most prominent educators and religious leaders, killed inside Emanuel AME Church Wednesday, including four beloved reverends.

Among them, 74-year-old retired Reverend Daniel Simmons, who attended the church every Sunday; 49-year-old Reverend DePayne Middleton- Doctor, who served her community in the learning center of Southern Wesleyan University. Forty-five-year-old Reverend Sharonda Singleton, pictured here with her son on Mother's Day, coached at a local high school.

Consoled by his teammates, Chris Singleton remembers his mom.

CHRIS SINGLETON, SON OF SHARONDA SINGLETON: So we just love the way my mom would. The hate won't be anywhere close to what love is.

PEREIRA: And the distinctive voice of Reverend Clementa Pinckney, leader of the Emanuel AME Church, was also silenced, gunned down as he preached.

REV. CLEMENTA PINCKNEY, SOUTH CAROLINA STATE SENATOR: And to see him die face down in the ground --

PEREIRA: A state senator, Reverend Pinckney became the youngest African-American ever elected to the South Carolina legislature. After the shooting of Walter Scott by police, he stressed the need for body police cameras in South Carolina.

PINCKNEY: And that a badge and a gun does not give someone superiority or will trump the constitutionally-protected privileges and rights in South Carolina.

PEREIRA: Friends and family struggle to cope with the loss of so many inside a place of worship. Recent college graduate Tywanza Sanders, just 26 years old, lost his life. Cynthia Hurd, 54 years old, she worked for decades as a librarian. Now, as a tribute to her life of service, it will be renamed in her honor.

TIM JACKSON, GRANDSON OF SUSIE JACKSON: I just want to know why. Like, why would you do something like this?

PEREIRA: Tim Jackson mourning the loss of his 87-year-old grandmother, Susie. He remembers her as a loving person with a great smile. Susie's 70-year-old cousin, Ethel Lance, also killed. And Myra Thompson, 59. She was teaching the Bible study, held each Wednesday, when the gunman opened fire.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA: We really feel it's important to make sure you understand that these were not just nine names, nine victims, nine statistics. These were people that were loved, that are missed, that are mourned.

Tywanza Sanders' best friend is going to be here with us a little later. That 26-year-old who died inside that church right behind me was known as a peacemaker. In fact, he was known to have said to have had one last act of bravery: threw himself in front of the gunman's gun and took fire instead of one of the other people that was there at the Bible study.

We should tell you, another prayer vigil is going to be held for the victims. It's going to be held tonight at 6 p.m. It's been amazing to see the amount of people that are coming by here to help the city heal, to mourn alongside them. That's going to be held at a local college just down the road from here, 6 p.m. tonight. And I'm sure there's going to be a lot of people in attendance.

Alisyn, I'll pass it over to you.

CAMEROTA: Well, Michaela, every single story that we hear about every one of these nine people makes them each individually sound impressive. So thank you for helping us understand that this morning.

So here with me now is Al Cannon. He's the Charleston County sheriff. The detention center where Dylann Roof is waking up this morning bears the sheriff's name.

Sheriff Cannon, thanks so much -- SHERIFF AL CANNON, CHARLESTON COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA: Hi, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: -- for being here. What a relief that this guy was captured.

CANNON: Certainly, law enforcement everywhere was concerned about that. And that is a positive aspect.

CAMEROTA: And the people here in Charleston were scared for those hours that he was on the loose.

CANNON: They were. And rightly so. I mean, law enforcement was telling them to stay in and notify us of any suspicious activity. So that and just the shock of the news that was dribbling out about what -- what had occurred that caused that.

CAMEROTA: As we said, he is in your detention center right now. Is he talking?

CANNON: I'm not going to go into that aspect of it, though he waived extradition, was brought back and lodged in the detention center about 7:30 last night.

CAMEROTA: There's information online about this guy. He was -- I mean, he -- his roommates, people who know him say that he is a racist. But you think it's interesting that he didn't just go anywhere. He could have chosen anywhere. He chose Charleston, and he chose this historic church to carry out his heinous crime. What do you think about that?

CANNON: Well, you know, obviously, the racial aspect of this, which has received most of the notice, it also, I think, hurts a lot of people everywhere, but particularly in Charleston, that it occurred at a church. These nine folks were, by their involvement in the Bible study, that's certainly a reflection of the kind of life they tried to lead.

Clementa Pinckney certainly first and foremost in that regard. And I last saw him, by the way, last week at the governor's signing of that body-worn camera bill. And I told him, I said, "I'm going to be out of town next week, but when I get back, let's get together and have lunch." And of course, that didn't happen.

But this is an attack on the church, as well. That church, with its doors open, attracted new (ph) members. They were met with grace and graciousness. And this person came into that on that basis and betrayed it and rebuked the salvation that was part of the discussion there.

And you know, Charleston has a long history with respect to its churches and the role that religion has played throughout its history. And, you know, we can talk about the obligations of someone when you have a visitor in your home.

CAMEROTA: Yes, I mean, they opened their arms to him. CANNON: Absolutely. And here's a man who came in and not only took

advantage of that, but betrayed it and committed just an unspeakable act.

CAMEROTA: We've heard so many testimonials about what a giant among men Pastor Pinckney was. As you say, you know him. You've dealt with him. And in fact, partly because of the legislation that he was behind, all your deputies will now be wearing body cameras.

CANNON: Well, and all the police officers in South Carolina. We have a period there where we identify appropriate policies and that sort of stuff, look for funding sources, particularly for the smaller agencies. But the bigger agencies, it's a big expense.

CAMEROTA: That's just one of his legacies.

CANNON: He certainly played a role in that.

CAMEROTA: You know, walking around town, being driven by taxi drivers around town, it's just sadness. It's just sadness, deep, deep sadness here. I don't hear anger, yet. Maybe that's coming. How do you describe what's happening to the community today and what you will do?

CANNON: Well, I think we're in a period of shock and tremendous sadness and hurt. I think certainly, there's some anger in the -- throughout the entire community, not just the folks directly affected in terms of having lost a loved one. But just -- that's an element of this community. And in some ways, it really distinguishes other communities. Because there are -- Charleston is somewhat small.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

CANNON: And so you can really get to know people and have great relationships with them. And, you know, I think there's an anger that's not only about what happened, where it happened, the circumstances of it, but just as an assault on the city's just very fabric.

CAMEROTA: Yes, absolutely. We feel it. Well, Sheriff, we know that you have your work cut out for you today. Thank you, and all of our thoughts are with your community of Charleston today.

CANNON: Thank you. Thank you, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Thank you for being here.

Let's go back to Chris in New York.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: All right, Alisyn. Obviously, we're going to stay with you guys down there in Charleston to understand how the community is reacting and what comes next. But we do have some other headlines.

The manhunt for those escaped prisoners in upstate New York 14 days on now. They say the search is widening. Both men now on the U.S. Marshals' most wanted list, as an attorney for Joyce Mitchell's husband says, he is coping with the realization that she may have been plotting with the escapees to murder him.

The State Department will release its annual country reports on terrorism today. The report is mandated by Congress. It gives lawmakers a complete review on terrorism overseas. No surprise, today's report is heavily expected to focus on ISIS. One big change: for the first time, Cuba is not on that list.

The EPA and Transportation Department will unveil major new regulations aimed at reducing emissions from big rigs and heavy-duty trucks. The rules kick in starting in the 2019 model year. And the auto makers get a chance to give their input before the new rules take effect.

Let's get back to Mick in Charleston -- Mick.

PEREIRA: Should I -- all right, Chris, we're just learning, too, that the suspect -- we're getting an urgent crossing our wire, that the suspect confessed to the shootings, and apparently, he purchased that gun on his own in April. So the question becomes: how did someone facing felony charges with an apparent history of hate allegedly get his hands on a gun?

Plus, we're going to speak with a friend of Pastor Clem Pinckney, who died in the shooting. That's ahead for you on NEW DAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: Welcome back to NEW DAY. I am here live in Charleston, South Carolina, boy, a city that I've always wanted to visit, certainly not under these circumstances. This city is grieving after the massacre of Wednesday that killed nine.

The big question becomes, how does this city, how does this community begin to move forward?

I want to bring in Carl Anderson. He's South Carolina state representative. He's also the chairman of the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus. And we should also tell you, he is a pastor. He knew Clementa Pinckney, the pastor that was killed here at church on Wednesday.

Good to see you.

REP. CARL ANDERSON, SOUTH CAROLINA STATE LEGISLATURE: Good morning.

PEREIRA: I'm so sorry it's under these circumstances, sir. And it was interesting. When you arrived here, we were talking about the fact that, for you, this hit you on two accounts. Not only was he your colleague in the legislature, but this was a fellow pastor in the AME family.

ANDERSON: Right.

PEREIRA: You're the pastor of Greater St. Stephen AME. You knew this man well.

ANDERSON: Yes, I did. Yes, I did.

PEREIRA: You lost a lion in the fight, did you not?

ANDERSON: We did. We did. We really lost a guy who has been a caring, compassionate, loving person, dedicated to his work, dedicated to his church work, dedicated to his district as a senator. A family man, also. But he was a brother and a friend.

PEREIRA: I've got two hats that I'm going to ask you to wear. First as a pastor.

ANDERSON: Yes.

PEREIRA: How do you now begin the process of not only healing your herd and the herd of this church behind us, Mother Emanuel, but also help people understand as best they can how they can feel safe in their church? Because that becomes a question to look at.

ANDERSON: Yes, it does. And we can just go to the word of God to assure people what this group was doing on Wednesday evening in a Bible study, they were learning what the word of God says to them. And they were there because they love God.

And we've got to continue to teach people that, you know, these things happen. There is, you know, no answer to why it happened on Wednesday evening. Even here in the Holy City, Charleston, we are just so devastated. It grieves our spirit.

But we do serve a God that, you know, He knows it all. He sees it all, and He has the answer to everything that happens.

PEREIRA: What are you hearing from the people in your church and the people in the community? What are they saying to you, Pastor?

ANDERSON: Basically, there are some things that all of us need to do in our churches, regardless of what denomination we are in, what race we are. There are some things that we need to look at. We probably need to beef up some things, you know, checking out our surrounding, checking out our doors, our entryways.

PEREIRA: Does your church have a certain level of security?

ANDERSON: Yes, my church do for the simple reason my church burned in October of 2011 to the ground. We rebuilt, and we went back in two years later, October 2013. So, we have some stuff secured, but still, we are not all the way there.

So I'm telling folks, you know, you need to put the camera there. It was just a good thing that Mother Emanuel had a camera --

PEREIRA: Yes.

ANDERSON: -- where this young man could be identified of who he is. And it was a blessing that his uncle called in to really put a name there with the face and give the other information. So I think all of the churches all over -- pastors and officers and

members of the churches -- need to do the walk around, the walk through and see what is needed that they might be secure.

[07:20:09] Now, grant you me, we have an open door policy.

PEREIRA: That was my next question.

ANDERSON: Whosoever will, let them come. So you know, there's no way to --

PEREIRA: You don't want to lock the doors.

ANDERSON: -- lock up everybody. Lock out everybody. But you know, but there are things that we can do. There are things we can put in place.

PEREIRA: Is it the conversation you're having with other pastors within the AME family and even within the religious churches and the houses of worship here in Charleston?

ANDERSON: This is conversation that I'm having with everybody.

PEREIRA: OK.

ANDERSON: You know? Including, you know, my denomination but every denomination. We have got to beef up. And you know, we've got ushers in our churches. And you know, there are things that they can do, you know, if they stand at the door.

PEREIRA: They're the eyes, often.

ANDERSON: Right. And there are other things that we can do. You know, our doors now, for our church that was just built two years ago, you know, has a panic button and everything there.

So, you know, there are codes now that, you know, when you build a new facility, you have to go to. So there are some things we can beef up in our churches.

But I'm still saying to folks, you know, don't just go out and get a security guard --

PEREIRA: Right.

ANDERSON: -- and let the security guard stand at the door, because that really let's, you know --

PEREIRA: It sends the wrong message.

ANDERSON: Yes.

PEREIRA: Not what the church wants to do.

ANDERSON: Yes.

PEREIRA: Representative and Pastor Carl Anderson, we thank you. And you are a picture of resolve.

They rebuilt after that fire, and it's proof that that resilience lives in the spirit here --

ANDERSON: Yes.

PEREIRA: -- in South Carolina. Really wonderful to have you here. Thank you so much for joining us on this day.

All right -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Michaela, we're getting new developments by the hour. And we do have some breaking news here on the Charleston shooting. The suspect's talking to police. And we will tell you what he's telling investigators this morning. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:47] CAMEROTA: And we do have breaking news about the massacre in South Carolina. The suspect is now talking to police.

Let's get right to CNNs justice reporter, Evan Perez, in Washington with all of the latest details for us. Evan, what do we know about what he's saying?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.

Police are now beginning to unravel the reason of why Dylann -- Dylann Roof carried out this massacre in Charleston two nights ago.

According to sources we've talked to, he has confessed to carrying out the massacre there at the church. He told investigators from the Charleston police and the FBI who are there interviewing him yesterday, after he was captured, that he wanted to start a race war.

Now, this isn't the end of the investigation. The FBI and, certainly, the Charleston police are still doing a lot more work. We know that the ATF is down there helping with doing some of the tracing of the handgun.

And along those lines, we're told that the trace of the handgun was done yesterday, and they discovered that the .45 caliber handgun that he used to carry out the massacre -- allegedly used to carry out the massacre -- was the same one that he purchased himself in April from a Charleston gun store -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Evan, any word on how somebody with felony charges got his hands on a gun?

PEREZ: Well, you know, he was charged with a felony, but he had not been adjudicated. He had not been found guilty of it. And so that's the key here. He's able to purchase, so he doesn't lose any of his rights. He's able to purchase a handgun if he has not been proven guilty, if he has not been adjudicated, of a felony. And he certainly was still free to do that. We're told my his grandfather -- Brian Todd talked to his grandfather

last night, Alisyn. And the grandfather said that his -- that his father gave him some birthday money. And that's the money he used to buy this handgun himself.

CUOMO: All right, Evan. I'll take it from you. I mean, that's the frustration here. Charged with a felony. That means a lot. It would certainly mean a lot in a job interview, but it doesn't when you're getting a gun. The rules are sometimes too easy, especially in South Carolina.

What is clear here, however, is that this is a hate crime. But is it also terrorism? It would be easy to suggest that it is, yes, the answer by any definition. Jon Stewart took that on last night and not with humor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON STEWART, HOST, COMEDY CENTRAL'S "THE DAILY SHOW": We've invaded two countries and spent trillions of dollars and thousands of American lives. We've got to do whatever we can to keep Americans safe.

Nine people shot in a church. What about that? Hey, what are you going to do? Crazy is as crazy is, right?

And Al Qaeda, all those guys, ISIS, they're not (EXPLETIVE DELETED) compared to the damage that we can apparently do to ourselves on a regular basis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: And I'll tell you, he's saying what should be obvious but is resisted by many.

Let's bring in CNN national security analyst and author of "Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for bin Laden," Peter Bergen; and sociology professor at the University of North Carolina, Charles Kurzman. He's also co-director of the Carolina Center for the Study of Middle East and Muslim Civilizations.

Gentlemen, thank you for joining us.

Let's start with you, Mr. Bergen. Isn't this a clear act of terrorism?

PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: By any conventional definition, yes. I mean, we just heard from Evan Perez that he was planning -- the alleged suspect was planning to provoke a race war. Well, that's a fundamentally political objective. And terrorism is conventionally defined as the use of violence against civilians for political purposes.

This fits neatly into that. So this is an act of terrorism. It may not be prosecuted as such, because there are, you know -- there are nine murders. He's supposedly confessed to the crime. There will be a hate crime kind of element of the investigation. And it may not be -- may not be necessary as a legal matter to call it terrorism.

CUOMO: Right.

BERGEN: But I think as an analytical matter, we should call a spade a spade.

CUOMO: But the resistance to it has nothing to do with the law, now does it? Yes, some people referring to what you did, the idea of a political component to terrorism, but we almost always define that very broadly. And certainly, this would fit into any definition.

So Mr. Kurzman, why do you think so many are resistant to calling this Charleston church massacre "terrorism"?