Forgiveness and tears as Roof set to be executed
UNITED STATES: One by one, family members of nine slain church members confronted Dylann Roof on Wednesday before he was formally sentenced to die for the slaughter. There were laughter and tears; love and hate; anger and forgiveness; despair and hope.
Some shouted at the avowed white supremacist as he stared ahead emotionless. One woman said she would visit him in prison and pray with him. They told Roof their hearts were forever broken, but that he failed his goal to stir up more racial hatred for blacks because the goodness of those he killed shined through much brighter than his cold, dark heart. Roof never looked at them. An aunt of 26-year-old Tywanza Sanders, the youngest victim killed during the 2015 slayings at a black church, demanded that Roof look at her as she talked about her nephew’s ‘‘great, big heart’’ that couldn’t be donated because of the shooting investigation.
‘‘Dylann,’’ Janet Scott said quietly as she started speaking. ‘‘Dylann! DYLANN!’’ she said, her voice rising. Toward the end of her remarks, she said, ‘‘I wish you would look at me, boy.’’
Roof, 22, just gazed ahead, his head tilted down slightly as he has during much of the trial.
A jury sentenced an unrepentant Roof to death on Tuesday. Roof had one final opportunity to ask for mercy, but instead told jurors he still ‘‘felt like I had to do it’’.
Family members of the victims testified at Roof’s trial, but the formal sentencing hearing gave them a chance to speak directly to Roof, without prosecutors or the judge interrupting or asking questions.
Felicia Sanders, who survived the shooting, said she forgave Roof, echoing comments she made after the shooting. But she noted Roof has done nothing to save himself.
Sanders brought her bullettorn, blood-stained Bible she had with her on the night of the June 17, 2015. She told Roof he still lives in her head, and that when she hears a balloon pop or fireworks it returns her to that night.
‘‘Most importantly, I can’t shut my eyes to pray,’’ Sanders said.
Roof sat through a 45-minute Bible study at Mother Emanuel with 12 others before he opened fire as they stood and closed their eyes for a final prayer. He fired 77 shots. Each victim was hit at least five times. Three people survived. Roof told one of them he was sparing her life so she could tell the world he was killing the worshippers at Emanuel AME because he hated black people. AP