Charleston shooting: Former classmate said Dylann Roof was quiet and kept to himself
The mass shooter was caught by police in North Carolina Thursday afternoon
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A former classmate of the man suspected of killing nine people at a historically black church in South Carolina said the young man was quite reserved in school.
Derrick D. Gutta Pearson — a former classmate of Mr Roof’s at White Knoll High School — told The Independent he was barely an acquaintance of the suspected shooter. Mr Pearson stated that Dylan was quiet and mostly kept to himself.
Mr Roof, a 21-year-old resident of Lexington County, South Carolina, was caught by police Thursday afternoon.
John Mullins, a former classmate of Mr Roof, told CNN that Mr Roof wasn’t much of a loner and did indeed have black friends in high school. Mr Mullins said the suspected shooter was calm in high school but did share racial slurs against African-Americans that were never taken seriously.
Mr Mullins suspected that he did use drugs and hang out with a rough crowd.
According to public records show Mr Roof was arrested in March in Lexington County on drug charges. An image taken from his Facebook page shows him in a green jacket bearing a flag that appears to belong apartheid South Africa.
Reports said that Mr Roof was also arrested in April for trespassing charges.
Mr Roof was arrested Wednesday afternoon in Shelby, North Carolina.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments