CHARLESTON, S.C. (WBTW) – A recent college graduate, state senator, librarian and pastor were among those killed in the tragic Charleston church shooting Wednesday night.
Nine lives were taken during the massacre, including Senator Clementa Pinckney and St. Andrews Regional Library Manager Cynthia Hurd. Charleston County Public Library confirmed in a statement on its website that Hurd fell victim to Roof’s shooting spree.
A third victim, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, was identified in a statement made by Charleston Southern University President Jairy C. Hunter Jr. as the mother of rising sophomore Chris Singleton. Singleton is a member of the CSU baseball team. Names of other victims have not yet been released by authorities.
Tywanza Sanders, a fourth victim of the Charleston Shooting, was a 2014 graduate of Allen University, according to a statement released by the school. The University adds, “He was a quiet, well known student who was committed to his education.”
A fifth victim of the Charleston shooting has been identified by St. James AME in Cleveland, Ohio, as 87-year-old Susie Jackson. Mrs. Jackson’s son is a member of St. James.
Charleston County Coroner Rae Wooten said Thursday the others have been identified as Myra Thompson, 59, Ethel Lance, 70, the Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr. and DePayne Doctor. Doctor was an enrollment counselor at Southern Wesleyan University’s Charleston Campus, according to a friend.
Coroner Wooten said in a press release Thursday afternoon that “this process is going to be a fairly lengthy one,” as her team will ensure each case is handled with care and attention to detail.
“Immediately my heart started to sink,” Wooten recalls of receiving the phone call following the church shooting. “We are human too, and we are touched by the terror of such an event.”
