CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A decade has passed since the tragic event that reshaped the Lowcountry, when a gunman entered the historic Mother Emanuel Church and began shooting during a Bible study session.
On the evening of June 17, 2015, a Bible study group at Emanuel AME Church warmly welcomed a young man. Shortly after 8 p.m., he revealed a gun and killed nine innocent individuals.
That night, six women and three men lost their lives: Cynthia Graham Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Rev. Daniel Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Myra Thompson, and State Senator Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney.
Five people also in the church that night survived the shooting – Rev. Pinckney’s wife, Jennifer, and their daughters, Felicia Sanders and her 5-year-old granddaughter, and Polly Sheppard.
The community was devastated; the church remained strong and showed the world what resilience means. And as the eyes of the world were on Charleston, those impacted by the tragedy were a symbol of resilience, faith, and grace.
“You took something very precious away from me. I will never talk to her ever again. I will never be able to hold her again. But I forgive you. Have mercy on your soul. It hurt me, it hurt a lot of people, but I forgive you,” said one victim’s family member during a bond hearing for the shooter.
As the world mourned the nine lives lost, then-President Barack Obama traveled to Charleston to speak at the funeral for Sen. Pinckney and the shooting victims.
“A preacher by 13, a pastor by 18, a public servant by 23. What a life Clementa Pinckney lived. What an example he set. What a model for his faith. And then to lose him at 41 – slain in his sanctuary with eight wonderful members of his flock,” Obama said during the ceremony, adding: “As a nation, out of this terrible tragedy, God has visited grace upon us. For he has allowed us to see where we’ve been blind.”
The church will hold a special service Tuesday honoring the Emanuel 9 and the five survivors. News 2 will carry that service live.
South Carolina Democrats will also host a town hall to discuss gun control legislation, and a proclamation will be read at Charleston City Council to declare Tuesday a Day of Remembrance for the victims and survivors.
Mother Emanuel’s pastor, Rev. Eric Manning, will then give the invocation at the city council meeting.
