Charleston church shooting: 9 killed in what officials call a hate crime

Festus Lyorah June 17, 2015

A man kneels across the street from where police gather outside the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church after a shooting on Wednesday, June 17, in downtown Charleston, South Carolina.

(CNN)A white man walked into a historic African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina, and opened fire during a Bible study class, killing nine people Wednesday evening.

The suspect was still at large early Thursday morning. And the shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest AME church in the South, is being investigated as a hate crime.

Worshipers gather to pray in a hotel parking lot across the street from the scene of the shooting. Every Wednesday evening, the church holds a Bible study in its basement.

"The only reason someone would walk into a church and shoot people that were praying is hate," said Charleston Mayor Joe Riley.

Eight churchgoers died at the scene; a ninth at a hospital, police said.

Officials wouldn't say how many people were at the prayer service during the shooting. There were survivors, said Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen, but he didn't elaborate.