Confederacy statue vandalized, other developments

A statue in Charleston memorializing the Confederacy was spray-painted with the message “Black Lives Matter” several days after a shooting at a historic black church Sunday. Police spokesman Charles Francis said city workers used a tarp to cover up the graffiti marking the stone pedestal beneath the statue. He said he didn’t know when the graffiti was spray-painted there, but said it would be cleaned off.

People hold vigil across Ravenel Bridge

Thousands turned out to form a human chain spanning the Arthur Ravenel Bridge in Charleston Sunday evening. The Bridge to Peace event was organized just a couple of days ago.

Parts of the bridge were closed to traffic to accommodate the people who turned out in 100-degree weather. Dozens of boats flanked the bridge, honking horns.

A nine-minute moment of silence was observed once people joined from Mount Pleasant and Charleston sides of the bridge.

Former stepmother: ‘Internet evil’ drew in suspect

Dlyann Roof’s former stepmother, Paige Mann of Chapin, told NBC News Saturday that her stepson was a “sweet kid” who was “too smart.”

“He was locked in his room looking up bad stuff on his computer,” Mann said she had heard from his mother. “Something on the computer drew him in — this is Internet evil.”

Wife, daughter of pastor were inside church

The wife and youngest daughter of a pastor who was fatally shot along with eight parishioners were inside the Charleston church at the time of the shooting.

Jennifer Pinckney and her daughter were in the pastor’s study when the shooting happened Wednesday night, the Rev. Norvel Goff, interim pastor of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, told The Associated Press on Sunday night.

They locked the door, hid under the desk and called 911, Goff said. “It was awful and horrible and unthinkable and evil,” he said.

Goff said he left the church 20 minutes before the Bible study began that night. He said he had been conducting a quarterly business conference with about 50 church leaders, including the Rev. Clementa Pinckney and his wife.

Bells ring out to honor victims

For several minutes Sunday, the sweltering skies above Charleston were alive with the sound of bells: high in steeples and in the hands of toddlers, all ringing and tinkling in unison to honor the nine people cut down during a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Churches of all denominations across Charleston agreed to ring their bells at 10 a.m. in a gesture they hoped would send a healing message of unity and love to the world. Standing in the shadow of St. Matthew’s Lutheran, less than a block from “Mother Emanuel,” Kelly Nix said the event brought her immense comfort.

“It’s about grace, hearing the bells and being part of a community that we love,” she said, tears rolling down her cheeks as her twin girls, Lana and Margeaux, who will turn 2 on Friday, ran around in their matching white dresses. “And searching for grace and faith in a time when you think of unthinkable things.”

Apple CEO weighs in on flag debate

Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, called for the Confederate flag to be removed from the State House grounds. In a tweet, Cook said, “My thoughts are with the victims’ families in SC. Let us honor their lives by eradicating racism & removing the symbols & words that feed it.”