CHARLESTON, SC (WBTW) – The man who authorities say killed nine people in cold blood at a Charleston church Wednesday night appeared before a North Charleston judge Friday afternoon.
Dylann Roof appeared before Judge James Gosnell for his 2 p.m. bond hearing at the Bond Court facility located at 3841 Leeds Avenue in North Charleston. Roof’s appearance follows his arrest in Shelby, NC Thursday where he waived bond and was transported back to Charleston for prosecution.
Judge James Gosnell does not have authority to set bond for the nine counts of murder, but did set bond at $1 million for the one count of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.
Witnesses say Roof spent nearly an hour in the prayer meeting at Emanuel AME Church before standing and shouting he was there “to shoot black people,” CNN reports.
The 21-year-old alleged gunman appeared emotionless and continually looked at the ground while listening to the reaction of family members of the victims. Roof did not speak during the hearing accept to answer question from Judge Gosnell regarding his address, age, and employment.
Roof has two previous arrests this year in the Columbia area. The first was a drug possession charge and the second arrest was for a trespassing violation. Roof’s next court appearance will be before a Circuit Court Judge to address possible bond on the nine murder charges. That hearing will be held October 23 at 2 pm, and the following court appearance will be February 5, 2016 at 9 a.m.
Public Defender Ashley Pennington has been assigned as the defense for Roof.
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