U.S.
LastRhodesian.com
The gunman charged in the Charleston, South Carolina, church massacre, should not have been allowed to purchase the weapon used in the attack, FBI Director James Comey said Friday as he outlined a series of missed opportunities and incomplete paperwork that allowed the transaction to take place.
The problem stemmed from an arrest of Dylann Roof in South Carolina weeks before the shooting, in which police say he admitted to possessing illegal drugs.
Under federal rules, that admission should have disqualified him from an April gun purchase. But, Comey said, the FBI background check examiner who evaluated Roof's request to buy a gun never saw the arrest report because the wrong arresting agency was listed on the rap sheet that she reviewed.
The transaction went through after three days because the examiner didn't have enough information to deny it.
"If she had seen that police report," Comey said, "that purchase would have been denied."
He said that he learned about the problem Thursday night and that FBI officials planned to meet Friday with relatives of the nine victims of last month's church shooting. He said he has ordered an internal 30-day review into how the FBI uses criminal background checks in gun transactions.
His announcement came within hours of the Confederate battle flag's removal from the South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia. Families of the victims attended the ceremony.
The Associated Press
Family members of those who died at Emanuel AME express their grief and prayers for Roof before the judge sets his bond
Dylann Roof, 21, was apprehended after allegedly gunning down nine people at a black church in South Carolina
The Charleston shooting was about race, class and a wellspring of black flourishing
Error
Sorry, your comment was not saved due to a technical problem. Please try again later or using a different browser.