Dylann Roof Has Been Indicted On Federal Hate Crime Charges

Charleston shooter Dylann Roof was officially indicted on hate crime charges.

On Wednesday, a grand jury charged the 21-year-old with 33 federal charges, including hate crimes, according to New York Daily News.

Roof was already charged with nine counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder and one firearms offense after fatally shooting nine African Americans at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on June 17.

South Carolina is one of five states without a law that designates a hate crime as a specific offense, so Roof's latest charges came from federal courts.

Prior to the charges, many speculated the shooting to be a hate crime. One survivor recalled Roof telling his victims,

You rape our women and you're taking over our country. And you have to go.

Additionally, Roof wrote a manifesto about his upcoming attack on a website that is no longer available, Huffington Post reports.

The manifesto labeled black people as "stupid and violent" and praised segregation as a "defensive measure."

An excerpt from the manifesto reads,

I have no choice. I am not in the position to, alone, go into the ghetto and fight. I chose Charleston because it is most historic city in my state, and at one time had the highest ratio of blacks to Whites in the country. We have no skinheads, no real KKK, no one doing anything but talking on the Internet. Well someone has to have the bravery to take it to the real world, and I guess that has to be me.

The new charges categorize Roof's crimes as civil rights violations, and they are now under the jurisdiction of federal authorities.

He could face the death penalty if convicted.

Citations: Dylann Roof To Be Indicted On Federal Hate Crime Charges Reports (The Huffington Post), Dylann Roof indicted on hate crime charges (The New York Daily News)