Dylann Storm Roof was born on April 3, 1994, in Columbia, South Carolina. Roof lived with his father and stepmother and frequently moved. Once, the family relocated to Florida, but would return later to the Columbia area.
Dylann was a loner who usually stayed in his room. All attempts to mentor the troubled young man failed, as he grew apart from his family. In the months leading up to the shooting, Roof had become on law enforcement’s radar. His first official brush with the law came on February 28, 2015, when mall security at the Columbiana Centre in Columbia called police on Roof. Roof, at the time, was wearing all-black clothing and was reportedly asking employees unsettling questions. During the investigation, Roof was found in possession of a prescription medication for opioid use disorder, which can be sold illegally. Roof was arrested since he did not have a prescription for the drug and was banned from the mall for a year.
Two weeks later, on March 13, 2015, Roof was investigated for loitering in his parked car in downtown Columbia. A police officer searched Roof’s vehicle and found a forearm grip for an AR-15 rifle and six unloaded magazines. Roof was not charged after he informed the officer that he wanted to purchase an AR-15, but did not have enough money to do so at the time.
On April 26, 2015, Roof was again arrested for trespassing at Columbiana Mall, with his ban being extended for three additional years.
But, no one knew precisely what Dylann Roof was capable of…
On the evening of June 17, 2015, Dylann Roof entered the doors of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Several members were conducting a bible study at that time. Roof opened fire with a handgun, killing nine people inside.
On June 18, 2015, Roof was captured in Shelby, North Carolina, and confessed to the Charleston attack to start a race war.
Dylann Roof is currently on death row at the United States Penitentiary in Indiana.
Written By: John G. Clark Jr.