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As church shooting anniversary looms, mural honors victims

By BRUCE SMITH

The Associated Press
A mural to commemorate the victims of the Emanuel AME Church slayings was unveiled Friday on the side of a building a few blocks from the church. It was created by artist Tripp Derrick Barnes to honor the nine shooting victims as the first anniversary of the attack approaches.
A mural to commemorate the victims of the Emanuel AME Church slayings was unveiled Friday on the side of a building a few blocks from the church. It was created by artist Tripp Derrick Barnes to honor the nine shooting victims as the first anniversary of the attack approaches. Bruce Smith The Associated Press
CHARLESTON, S.C.

As the anniversary of the shootings at Charleston’s Mother Emanuel AME approaches, a mural by noted artist Tripp Barnes honoring the shooting victims was unveiled Friday a few blocks from the church.

Nine black parishioners were gunned down during a Bible study at the church on June 17. A white man, Dylann Roof, faces murder charges in state court and numerous federal charges in the case.

The mural shows a portrait of the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, the church’s pastor and one of the victims, against a background of rainbow colors.

Barnes is a South Carolina native who has created celebrity portraits for Susan Sarandon, Matthew McConaughey and New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees among others.

He donated his time over two weeks to create the Charleston mural.

This story was originally published May 13, 2016 at 6:33 PM with the headline "As church shooting anniversary looms, mural honors victims."

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