Charleston (and the nation) continues to grieve after the church shooting. New York’s escapees land on a new list. And MERS spreads to a new country.
It’s Friday, and here are five things to know for your New Day.
CHURCH SHOOTING: THE SUSPECT
The suspect: Who is Dylann Roof? He turned 21 a couple of months ago and has a couple of arrests in his past. He even managed to get himself banned from a mall in his hometown of Columbia, South Carolina. His friends said he sometimes made racist jokes and comments, but no one thought he was capable of the violence he’s accused of visiting upon historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. He was captured yesterday in North Carolina and was back in South Carolina by day’s end.
CHURCH SHOOTING: THE VICTIMS
The victims: They included a pastor, a library worker, a speech therapist, a recent college graduate, a retiree. The Rev. Clementa Pinckney had been a minister since his teen years. Cynthia Hurd, who worked for the Charleston County Public Library, was the glue that kept her family together. Sharonda Singleton, a speech therapist and high school track coach, was a member of a sporting family. Tywanza Sanders graduated last year from Allen University, the same alma mater as his pastor. They all lost their lives engaged in something they loved to do — praying and studying the Bible.
NEW YORK PRISON BREAK
On the list: David Sweat and Richard Matt are officially America’s most wanted. The still-at-large convicted killers have been added to the U.S. Marshals Service’s list of 15 most wanted fugitives. The search for Sweat and Matt continues in the area of the Clinton Correctional Facility, where police are checking seasonal camps and clearing abandoned buildings. Police are also asking hunters and homeowners with surveillance cameras to check footage dating back to June 6 for anything unusual.
RACHEL DOLEZAL
Booted off: It’s been a tough week for Dolezal. At the end of last week questions about her race exploded on social media. The ensuing firestorm forced her to resign from her post as president of the Spokane, Washington, chapter of the NAACP. Yesterday, the city of Spokane kicked her off its Police Ombudsmen Commission, after an investigation showed she and two other members acted inappropriately. City officials say this had nothing to do with her current race-related scandals, but you have to admit, the timing is curious.
MERS
It’s spreading: MERS is now in Thailand. The deadly respiratory disease has spread from the Middle East to eastern Asia, hitting 26 countries since 2012. Time to be concerned? Well, the World Health Organization says the number of new MERS cases is declining, but it also warned that “all outbreaks are unpredictable,” especially for a relatively new disease that’s not yet well understood.