Family members of those who were killed in the 2015 Mother Emanuel AME Church shooting in South Carolina say the Department of Justice’s multimillion-dollar settlement is a step for closure, but no amount of money will ever bring back their loved ones.
“No amount of compensation will ever replace my father’s life but it allows me and my sister to have the opportunity to make sure we are doing everything we can to make sure my father’s legacy doesn’t go away,” Reverend Clementa Pinckney’s daughter told CBS News.
The 14 settlements equate to a total of $88 million. The DOJ’s agreement on Thursday settled a series of lawsuits brought after the FBI acknowledged that a glitch in the background check database and human error allowed convicted murderer and white supremacist Dylann Roof from purchasing a gun before the background check was completed.
Roof would walk into the church, take a seat with the church’s Bible study group and use that purchased gun to open fire during the closing prayer-killing nine people and wounding several others including Jennifer Pinckney, wife of Reverend Clementa.
“I still relive and I still think about what happened,” Pinckney said.
Kayo Singleton’s mother Myra died in the shooting. Singleton said the settlement “was a historical ending to such a long enduring process.”
“I have a young daughter that has a fear of sitting in a church because she thinks somebody of a different color is going to come in there and open fire. Even with a settlement, this is a nightmare that will never end. I have to live with this for the rest of my life,” said Singleton.
Since the shooting, Singleton wrote a book titled “I Never Forgave the Killer,” to help through his own grieving process.
The Justice Department also announced Thursday that it will award more than $21 million to state and local agencies to help investigate and prosecute hate crimes, as well as assist the victims.
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