Charleston, S.C., shooting suspect Dylann Storm Roof is escorted from the Cleveland County Courthouse in Shelby, N.C., Thursday, June 18, 2015. Roof is a suspect in the shooting of several people Wednesday night at the historic The Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Dylann Roof has admitted to the killing of nine people (Picture: AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Dylann Roof, the man charged with the killing of nine people in a church shooting, has reportedly told authorities he ‘wanted to start a race war’, FOX8 reported.

The news comes as the South Carolina governor Nikki Haley said the gunman should get the death penalty.

‘We will absolutely want him to have the death penalty,’ she told NBC.

The story so far

  • Nine dead, including church’s pastor who was a state senator
  • Dylann admits killing nine ‘to start race war’
  • Suspect spent hour with church group before opening fire
  • Shooter believed to have said ‘you rape our women and you’re taking over our country’ before opening fire
  • Reported to have received gun for 21st birthday
  • Snapchat video emerges of killer in church
  • Suspect arrested, US attorney general opens hate-crime probe
  • Attack evokes ‘dark part of our history’, Obama says

Charlston comp 1.jpg these are the victims of the charleston shooting
The victims: (Top L across) Cynthia Hurd, 54, a librarian; teacher Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, 45; Rev. Clementa Pinckney, 41, a church pastor and a state senator; Susie Jackson, 87; DePayne Middleton-Doctor, 49; Myra Thompson, 59; Tywanza Sanders, 26, a recent graduate of Allen University; Ethel Lee Lance, 70 and; Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr., 74

MORE : Pictured: Moment ‘killer’ smiled at the media as he was led onto plane in chains to face justice in Charleston

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Roof was caught in Shelby, North Carolina, 250 miles from the church where he gunned down nine black people attending a bible study group and prayer meeting.

One survivor described how he reloaded his gun five times as he shot down his victims Myra Thompson, 59, Clementa Pinckney, 41, Tywanza Sanders, 26, Sharonda A. Coleman-Singleton, 45, DePayne Middleton, 49, Cynthia Hurd, 54, Ethel Lance, 70, Susie Jackson, 87, and Reverend Daniel Simmons.

Dylann Roof,  from Lexington, was arrested after he was identified by his own uncle Carson Cowels, 56, who recognised him on CCTV footage released by police.

Cowels said his nephew had received a gun for his birthday in April. It’s not yet known if the .45 calibre pistol was the gun used in the attack.

MORE : Did Charleston victim post Snapchat of ‘killer’ in the Bible group moments before shooting?

MORE : Pictured: These are the nine victims of the Charleston massacre

CNN broadcast a Snapchat video taken from inside the church during the study session, which appeared to show Roof before the massacre.

Before opening fire on the church congregation, Roof is reported to have said: ‘You rape our women and you’re taking over our country.’

The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime.