CHARLESTON, S.C.—A friend of the white man accused of shooting nine black churchgoers to death in Charleston is being investigated by federal authorities, an official said Wednesday.
A federal law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press that a letter was sent last month telling Joey Meek of Lexington, South Carolina, that he was under investigation for lying to law enforcement and for failing to report a crime despite knowledge of it.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation, which was first reported by The State newspaper.
Meek has said Dylann Roof stayed with him in Lexington County before the June 17 shootings at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
During an interview in June, Meek told the AP how Roof, while getting drunk on vodka, had complained that “blacks were taking over the world” and that “someone needed to do something about it for the white race.”
