Charleston shooting: Governor recommends death penalty to suspect

Charleston

Governor of South Carolina recommended death penalty to the young white man suspected of gunning down nine people at a black church, reports said.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said today she believed Roof should face the death penalty -- legal in the state -- if convicted.

"This is an absolute hate crime," Haley told NBC's "Today" show.

"We will absolutely want him to have the death penalty. This is the worst hate that I've seen and the country has seen in a long time," added Haley.

Reports also included that 21-year-old Dylann Roof -- who has been charged with nine murders as well as possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime -- said he "wanted to start a race war."

The carnage at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston was the worst attack on a US place of worship in decades, and comes at a time of revived racial tensions in many parts of the country. All of the victims were black.

Several US media outlets have reported that Roof confessed to investigators that he walked into "Mother Emanuel" -- one of the oldest black churches in the country -- on Wednesday night and opened fire on a Bible study class.