NC police high-five after arresting Charleston shooter
SHELBY, N.C. (WNCN) – Officials have released dashcam video and 911 calls from Dylann Roof’s arrest in Shelby. Roof is accused of killing nine people at an historic church in Charleston last week.
The video from police shows officers pulling over and approaching Roof’s black Hyundai in Shelby on Thursday morning.
When police catch up with Roof’s car on Highway 74 near Plato Lee Road, they approached the vehicle cautiously and order him to place his hands on the wheel and turn off the vehicle.
Roof followed their orders and eventually stepped out of the vehicle. He was then handcuffed and searched.
Quickly after getting Roof into a cruiser, four police officers briefly celebrate, giving each other “high fives” and “fist bumps.” The low-key celebration happens on the video starting around 4:20, just after Roof’s car trunk is closed.
It was 16 hours after Roof allegedly killed nine people.
The killings took place on Wednesday at the Emmanuel AME Church after an hour-long prayer meeting. Roof, 21, was arrested the following morning after Debbie Dills spotted him on Highway 74 in Shelby. Dills then called her boss, Todd Frady, who kept her on the phone while he called authorities. In the 911 calls, Frady can be heard giving dispatchers detailed descriptions about Roof’s car and his location.RELATED STORY | More than 10,000 gather to join hands in solidarity with Charleston
On the call, Frady makes it clear that Dills believes she is following the suspected Charleston shooter. According to the official incident report, when asked for his name as police pulled him over, Roof freely admitted who he was. More officers quickly arrived at the arrest scene and Roof was placed in a patrol car. According to the report, the officers found a black gun, which they believed to be a GLOCK semi-automatic handgun, beneath a pillow on the back seat.
In the shooting, 54-year-old Cynthia Hurd, 87-year-old Susie Jackson, 70-year-old Ethel Lance, 49-year-old Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, 41-year-old Rev. and SC Senator Clementa Pinckney, 26-year-old Tywanza Sanders, 74-year-old Rev. Daniel Simmons, 45-year-old Rev. Sharonda Singleton, and 59-year-old Myra Thompson were all shot to death. Investigators have not said what type of gun was used.
After his arrest, Roof waived extradition and was taken back to Charleston where he was charged with nine counts of murder as well as other, gun-related charges.– Information from WBTV and WCBD