CHARLESTON, S.C. — Friday marked seven years since the mass shooting at a historic Black church in Charleston, South Carolina.
On June 17, 2015, Dylann Roof shot nine people to death at Mother Emanuel AME Church.
Authorities have said Roof opened fire during the closing prayer of a Bible study session at the church, raining down dozens of bullets on those assembled. Roof was 21 years old at the time.
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WCIV reported community members, religious leaders and politicians all gathered at the church Friday evening to study the same Bible verse that was studied the night of the shooting.
“What happened that night, it is something that affected me on so many fronts,” said U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn, who attended the gathering. “I just got to believe that no human is irredeemable. I think that all human beings can be redeemed. So, this is a great way to do that.”
The goal of the Bible reading was to remember and honor the nine lives lost and to never forget their names, according to WCIV.
In 2017, Roof became the first person in the U.S. sentenced to death for a federal hate crime. He later pleaded guilty to state murder charges and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
(WATCH BELOW: Charleston church massacre survivor calls for stricter punishments involving hate crimes)
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