The teenage son of a woman killed in the Charleston shooting has said that he has forgiven his mother’s killer, less than 48 hours after her death.
Chris Singleton, whose mother Sharonda was shot dead by Dylann Storm Roof, said that his overwhelming feeling following the mass murder was of love.
He told the BBC’s Rajini Vaidyanathan: “We already forgive him for what he’s done and there’s nothing but love from our side of the family.”
His sister, Camryn, added: “I just feel a lot of love - a little bitter but I’m overwhelmed with love.”
Speaking at an event yesterday evening, Chris Singleton also spoke of the role that his faith had in dealing with his mother’s death:
His comments saw a wave of support and admiration on Twitter…
Roof is now in custody after he was apprehended some 250 miles away from the scene in Shelby, North Carolina.
Reactions to the shooting, which took place at a historic African-American church, have ranged from the response of the Singleton family to calls for black people to arm themselves over fears for their safety.
Tweets using the hashtag #WeWillShootBack began to emerge, calling for black people to register for gun ownership.
Twitter user @SankofaBrown, who appeared to have started the hashtag, tweeted:
He also stressed the importance of education as well as carrying a gun:
Others tweeted in support of the movement: