Police responding to a 'mass shooting' in Charleston, S.C.


Charleston police are responding to a shooting at a downtown church on June 17, 2015. (Reuters)


By Tribune wire reports contact the reporter


Police were responding to a call of a "mass shooting" at a church in South Carolina Wednesday evening, according to numerous media reports. The Associated Press indicated that the incident occurred at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston around 9 p.m.

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The suspected shooter is still at large, according to the Charleston Police Department's Twitter. Police described the suspect as a white male, approximately 21 years old, with a slender build. They also indicated he is believed to be wearing a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans and Timberland boots.


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The Post and Courier newspaper is reporting that the pastor of the church was inside for a service at the time of the shooting.

But it was unclear if the shooting took place inside the church.
An Associated Press reporter on the scene says police helicopters with searchlights are circling overhead in the area, and a group of pastors are kneeling and praying across the street.

Police Spokesman Charles Francis confirmed that media crews were pushed a block away from the center of police activity to the corner of King and Calhoun because of an alleged bomb threat at the Charleston Marriott hotel.

The Emmanuel AME church is a historic African-American church that traces its roots to 1816, when several churches split from Charleston's Methodist Episcopal church.

One of its founders, Denmark Vesey, tried to organize a slave revolt in 1822. He was caught, and white landowners had his church burned in revenge. Parishioners worshipped underground until after the Civil War.

This is a developing story, please check back for details.
Associated Press contributed to this report

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