Crime scene photos, new info released in Charleston church shooting case

[Blue_Tires]

Source: WYFF NBC Channel 4

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) —Charleston police released limited details including crime scene photos and documents relating to the fatal shooting of nine members of a Charleston church and the arrest of the suspect.

Information released includes photos taken outside the church on the night of the June 17 incident, photos inside the church taken days later after the crime scene had been cleaned, additional photos taken after the arrest of the suspect, 21-year-old Dylann Roof, in Shelby, North Carolina the day after the shooting, and incident reports from police on the scene and dispatchers from the night of the shooting.

The release of information followed a Freedom of Information Act request. In response, Charleston Asst. Corporation Counsel Will Bryant explained the reason authorities were denying parts of the request in an accompanying letter addressed to "Members of the Media."

"While the public and the media have a legitimate interest in aspects of the case, those interests are not served by the release of gory and disturbing videos and photographs," he wrote "Nor is the interest of the public and media served by the release of information that would 'constitute an unreasonable invasion of privacy' of the families of the nine people who were killed in the incident or those who lived through it."

Read more: http://www.wyff4.com/news/crime-scene-photosnew-info-released-in-charleston-church-shooting-case/36116682

[deathrind]

1. "Officials: 'gory and disturbing' videos, photographs don't serve public interest"

Actually it would go a long way to serving the public interests. If people actually saw what the aftermath of an event likes this looks like real change in firearm controls would be inevitable.

There is a reason part of the classes one has to take for a DWI conviction shows crash scene photos as well as the photo's shown back in HS drivers education.

[Blue_Tires]

2. Well, for starters they don't want the media get too sensationalist with it

which they are guaranteed to do...

Secondly, showing all the gory stuff before the trial even starts would be a golden gift to the shooter's defense team...

FWIW, DUI isn't the same thing as a mass shooting...Nobody ever makes the premeditated decision to get piss drunk, maul some pedestrians, and then smash into a semi head-on...

[Fred Sanders]

3. I agree. Sanitizing the scene of mass murder by gun is a big reason why the mass murders continue.

The "public interest" is truth....not releasing the pictures, if family consent, as family have in the Sandy Hook gun massacre, is the opposit of the public interest in ending the epidemic of guns and gun violence from the 300 million guns lying around and terrorizing anyone within range of any one of them.

P.S. Looks like your link is experiencing heavy interest and is difficult to load...."server has stopped responding"....the public is very much interested in knowing what a GUN is capable of doing and it is not pretty.

The excuse of "it is too gory" is incredible given the wall to wall visual gore that is a staple diet of entertainment in America.

[heaven05]

5. +1000

no matter what the 'rationalists' say here. I'd love many photos of war, combat and "collateral damage" to be disseminated widely. Maybe that would shock people into realizing what a waste of human potential war creates.

[pocoloco]

4. Here is how a Detroit Pastor handled an attack!

http://www.freep.com/story/news/2015/10/18/police-pastor-shoots-kills-attacker-church/74197876/