Charleston church shooting suspect Dylann Roof was ordered to remain in custody on nine murder charges on Friday, at an emotional bond hearing during which relatives of the victims expressed their grief.
Roof’s attorney, public defender Ashley Pennington, said his 21-year-old client was prepared to “accept the no bond arrangement.” Judge James Gosnell set the next court hearing in the case for October 23.
Bond was set at $1m on a weapons charge, but Roof will nevertheless remain in custody because no bond was set on the murder charges.
Roof appeared in court via videolink and was seen standing quietly through the hearing, providing brief answers to the judge’s questions.
Investigators say he has told them he wanted the shootings to spark a race war in the US.
Relatives of the nine victims were invited to speak at Friday’s hearing. Several broke down in tears as they spoke of their loss, but also said they forgave Roof.
“Every fiber in my body hurts, and I’ll never be the same. Tywanza Sanders was my son. But he was my hero,” said Felicia Sanders.
In their first public reaction to the fatal shooting, the family of Roof released a statement offering sympathy to the victims.
“We cannot express our shock, grief and disbelief as to what happened that night,” the statement said. “We are devastated and saddened by what occurred.”
Early on Friday, Roof was charged with nine counts of murder and one count of possession of a firearm.
The charges came hours after he confessed to carrying out the attack.
US officials are investigating the attack, in which four ministers were killed including a Democratic state senator, as a hate crime.
The Justice Department announced on Friday that it’s investigating whether it could be a hate crime or domestic terrorism. Agency spokeswoman Emily Pierce said the slayings were “undoubtedly designed to strike fear and terror into this community”.
It comes in a year of turmoil in the United States, where police killings of several unarmed black men has provoked angry national debates about race relations, policing and the criminal justice system.
Al Jazeera’s Andy Gallacher, reporting from Charleston, said that while the South Carolina city and other communities across the US have come together to mourn those killed in the attack, race relations will continue to be an ongoing issue.
“This is a community and a city that is coming together with no regard of racial background, but nevertheless the issue of race is one that cannot be ignored,” Gallacher said.
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