Charleston shooting: I would 'be the executioner myself if they would allow it', says Dylann Roof's uncle
'The whole world is going to be looking at his family who raised this monster' Dylann Roof's uncle, Carson Cowles said
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The uncle of Dylann Roof, who is accused of shooting nine black churchgoers, has said of his nephew that he would "be the executioner myself if they would allow it."
Carson Cowles was previously convinced that his nephew, now in police custody in South Carolina, was not racist but has now described himself as angry with the thought his nephew allegedly carried out the crime.
"The whole world is going to be looking at his family who raised this monster,” Mr Cowles told the Washington Post on Thursday as he wiped away tears outside his mobile home.
The teenage children of one of the victims meanwhile say that they have forgiven their mother's killer.
"We forgive him" said the children of Sharonda Singleton, 45, who was one of nine people shot dead.
Roof is alleged to have planned the attack for six months which claimed nine lives at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on Wednesday night.
Branded a hate crime by local and federal officials, the quick and apparently methodical act of slaughter left nine people dead including the church’s pastor, the Rev Clementa Pinckney, who was also a Democrat member of the South Carolina Senate.
"He was big into segregation and other stuff," Dalton Tyler told ABC News.
"He said he wanted to start a civil war. He said he was going to do something like that and then kill himself."
Pictures of Dylann Roof, 21, have emerged since the shooting of the young man wearing patches of the flags for apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia, and Roof’s car featured a confederate flag as a front license plate.
A survivor of the shooting, said to be spared so they could retell the events, said that during the attack Roof had said he was there "to kill black people."
When a churchgoer pleaded with Roof to stop shooting, he allegedly told them: "You rape our women, and you're taking over our country. And you have to go."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments