US Republican Party presidential hopeful Jeb Bush has canceled campaign events scheduled for today in Charleston, South Carolina, following the unprovoked gun attack at the Emanuel AME Church that left nine people dead.

A white man had opened fire during a prayer meeting inside the historic black church in downtown Charleston on Wednesday night, in an assault that authorities described as a hate crime. The shooter remains at large.

Agency reports quoted Police Chief Greg Mullen as saying he believed the attack at the church was a hate crime, and police were looking for a white male in his early 20s.

“The only reason that someone could walk into a church and shoot people praying is out of hate,” said Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley. “It is the most dastardly act that one could possibly imagine, and we will bring that person to justice . . . This is one hateful person.”

•Photo by AP shows worshippers at the Emanuel AME Church, Charleston, South Carolina, USA, comforting each other after the shooting.