CHARLESTON, S.C. — A message of forgiveness was the focus of a forum held virtually to mark six years since a deadly shooting rampage at a Charleston church claimed the lives of nine people who were gathered to study the Bible.
On June 17, 2015, churchgoers were attending Bible study at Mother Emanuel AME in downtown Charleston, when a white supremacist joined them in worship for about an hour before pulling out a gun and shooting to death six women and three men.
Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Cynthia Graham Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance Depayne Middleton-Doctor, State Senator Rev. Clementa Pinckney, Tywanza Sanders, Rev. Daniel Simmons and Myra Thompson were gunned down. Five people who were also in the church that night survived the shooting: Pinckney's wife, Jennifer, and their daughters; Felicia Sanders and her 5-year-old granddaughter; and Polly Sheppard.
Roof was arrested the day following the shooting. He first appeared in court the next day, June 19, 2015, when victims' family members appeared and offered messages of forgiveness.
“I forgive you,” said Nadine Collier, Lance's daughter, through tears to Roof as he appeared at the bond hearing via video conference. "You took something very precious from me and I will never talk to her ever again. I will never be able to hold her again. But I forgive you. And have mercy on your soul."
Thursday night, Mother Emanuel took that message of forgiveness live on its Facebook page in a forum commemorating the lives lost, but also discussing a message of love, forgiveness and social justice.
Scroll down to view the full forum.
According to First Coast News' NBC news partners in Charleston, WCBD, Chris Singleton, who lost his mother Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, has been working to teach others about love and forgiveness for the last six years.
"I definitely think there is work still to be done," Chris Singleton said. "Unfortunately, there has been a lot of division over the past couple of years. Even back to when my mom was taken away. So, the work that I do is to unite people.”
