Authorities in the United States of America have released the identities of the nine people that died when Dylann Storm Roof, 21, opened fire on Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, during a prayer meeting on Wednesday night. Authorities are treating the unwarranted attack on the historic black church by the young white man as a hate crime.
At a press briefing Thursday, Charleston County Coroner Rae Wooten released the full list of names and ages of the nine victims of the church shooting: The victims included three men and six women ranging in age from 26 to 87. A Yahoo News report listed the victims as follows:
Clementa Pinckney: South Carolina state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, the church’s pastor and a married father of two, the first victim to be identified. The 41-year-old pastor was leading a prayer service at the church when Roof opened fire. Pinckney is remembered as an accomplished leader in the community.
Sharonda Coleman-Singleton: A reverend at the church, the 45-year-old mother of three coached the girls’ track team at Goose Creek High School in Goose Creek, S.C. Originally from Newark, N.J., Coleman-Singleton later moved to Summerville, S.C.
Since 2007, Coleman-Singleton had also been a speech-language therapist for the school district, Berkeley County Public Schools, according to her LinkedIn page.
Coleman-Singleton had a Bachelor of Arts from South Carolina State University and a Master of Arts from Montclair State University. She also studied speech-language pathology at Nova Southeastern University.
Her son, Chris, is a talented baseball player who thrived on the Gators baseball team and went on to play for Charleston Southern University.
Cynthia Hurd: The 54 years old was the manager of St. Andrews Regional Library, Charleston, is remembered as a woman who spent her life making sure residents of the local community had opportunities for personal growth and an education.
Hurd worked with Charleston County Public Library for 31 years. Before joining St. Andrews, she was manager of the John L. Dart branch.
DePayne Middleton-Doctor: Former Charleston County employee DePayne Middleton-Doctor, 49, was reportedly the mother of four girls and sang in the church’s choir. In a Facebook post, one of her family members, Laurie Middleton, said she will miss her beautiful personality, laughter, smile and love for all people.
Tywanza Sanders: The Allen University alumnus, 26, graduated from the school’s Division of Business Administration in 2014. In a statement from the university, Sanders was remembered as “a quiet, well known student who was committed to his education. He presented a warm and helpful spirit as he interacted with his colleagues.”
Myra Thompson: She was aged 59 and was a devout member of the Anglican Church in North America also confirmed Thompson’s death. Her husband, the Rev. Anthony Thompson, is a vicar for Holy Trinity REC.
Ethel Lee Lance: The 70-year-old was a sexton who had reportedly worked at the church for more than 30 years. “I’m lost, I’m lost,” her grandson, Jon Quil Lance, said to The Post and Courier. “Granny was the heart of the family.”
Daniel L. Simmons: She was a retired pastor from another church in Charleston and attended the Emanuel AME Church’s services every Sunday and Bible study every Wednesday.
Susie Jackson: Aged 87, she was a longtime church member. Jackson was active in the church, serving on the usher board and singing in the choir. Her grandson, Tim Jackson, told WEWS, an ABC affiliate, that she was a loving person with an infectious smile. “It’s real, real hard. It’s challenging because I don’t believe she deserved to go this way. It hurts to process,” he said.
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