Friend of alleged South Carolina church shooter pleads guilty to lying to federal authorities
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 friend of the white man charged in the killings of nine black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina, pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators about what he knew prior to the massacre.
Joey Meeks, 21, agreed to the plea deal - which included failure to report a crime - and now faces up to eight years in prison. Prosecutors say if he is helpful in their case against the alleged gunman, Dylann Roof, he could receive a shorter sentence.
The Associated Press says that Mr Meeks admitted that Mr Roof had planned on carrying out the shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church on 17 June 2015 for more than six months. He also told authorities that Mr Roof intended to start a “race war” with the shooting.
Mr Meek had previously told the AP that Mr Roof complained during a drunken rant that “blacks were taking over the world” and “someone needed to do something about it for the white race.”
Mr Roof is charged with nine counts of murder in state court and hate crimes in federal court.
After Mr Roof killed the nine members of the Emanuel AME church, including South Carolina state senator Clementa C Pinckney. Their deaths brought issues of race and racialised violence to the forefront of American consciousness.
Amid growing national pressure, South Carolina Gov Nikki Haley had the Confederate battle flag removed from outside the statehouse in Charleston. The flag represented pro-slavery states during the Civil War, and has since become a popular symbol among US white supremacy groups.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.