Charleston Suspect's Uncle: Dylann Roof Got a Gun For His 21st Birthday
The uncle of Charleston shooting suspect Dylann Roof says his nephew is a “monster” who was given a .45-caliber gun for his birthday this April.
This morning the FBI identified Roof—a 21-year-old with prior arrests for drugs and trespassing—as the man who shot up a Charleston church Wednesday, killing at least nine people in what authorities say was a racially motivated attack.
Roof’s uncle, Carson Cowles, says he recognized his nephew when police released surveillance images taken outside the Mother Emanuel AME Church.
“He’s a monster, and they need to catch him, and he needs to pay for what he’s done,” Cowles told the Daily News on Thursday.
Cowles says his nephew was “a shy person who kept to himself” but tells the New York Daily News he “never saw” it coming.
It’s unclear what kind of gun Roof allegedly used in the attack, but Cowles tells the paper Roof got a .45-caliber for his 21st birthday on April 3.
Roof was thrilled when his dad gave him a .45 caliber gun when he turned 21 in April, Cowles said. Cowles called him a day later.
“He said, ‘I got to go, I’m outside shooting target practice right now,’” he said.
Roof is still at large.
