Charleston mayor confirms 9 dead in shooting at church; suspect at large

CHARLESTON, S.C. (KGO) -- Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley has confirmed nine people are dead following a shooting at the Emanuel AME Church, a historic black church, in downtown Charleston, South Carolina.

Police are still looking for the suspect and will investigate this as a hate crime.

A man described as white, about 21 years old with sandy blonde hair, walked into the church and opened fire Wednesday night. Eight people were found dead at the church and another person died at a hospital.

Police say the shooting happened during a prayer meeting.

Tune into ABC7 News at 11 p.m. for the latest on this breaking story.