Dylann Roof hesitated for about 20 seconds when an FBI agent asked him what he was doing on the night nine black church members were killed during Bible study.
“Uh, I did it,” Roof said in a video recording played for the public for the first time Friday at his death penalty trial. After waiving his rights and about a minute of small talk, the agents pressed Roof gently—asking him exactly what he did. He paused another 30 seconds or so.
“I killed them,” Roof said. As he talked more, he chuckled and said, “Well, I killed them, I guess.”
The video was shown on the third day of testimony. Roof is accused of opening fire inside a basement room of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on June 17, 2015, just as members of the Bible study closed their eyes for a final prayer.
Roof told the agents he didn’t start firing as soon as he entered.
“I was sitting there thinking about whether I should do it or not. That’s why I sat there for 15 minutes. I could have walked out,” Roof said.
Church surveillance videos indicate Roof was inside closer to 45 minutes. A survivor testified that he was given a Bible and a study guide to follow along with the prayer group.
