After rounding up nine counts of murder, 21-year-old Roof was also charged with three counts of attempted murder, accounting for the three survivors of the heinous attack, according to the Associated Press.
U.S. Justice Department officials have not specified whether Roof’s act of violence will be treated as a hate crime, though a majority believe the legal parameters are in line to pursue the charge.
On a website registered in Roof’s name, a lengthy racist declaration was revealed along with photos of Roof holding guns, Confederate flags and burning American flags.
