SC lawmaker mourns deaths from Charleston shooting

Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) took to the House floor on Thursday to express condolences over the mass shooting at a historic black church in his home state.

Duncan noted that he previously served in the South Carolina House of Representatives with one of the victims, Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who was also later a state senator.

“Tragedy shot through the hearts of every family and community last night in South Carolina,” Duncan said. “Please pray for the 180-year-old Emanuel AME church who suffered the loss, the city of Charleston tormented with distress, the state of South Carolina and its law enforcement personnel.”

{mosads}Duncan cited a passage from the Bible’s Book of Matthew, as he asked others to stand in solidarity. 

“We all need to come together with compassion and love,” Duncan said. “It’s important in times like these to remember that we are all made in the image of God.”

A gunman killed nine people during a prayer service Wednesday night at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. According to reports, the suspect attended the prayer service for an hour before opening fire.

Police apprehended a suspect, Dylann Roof, Thursday morning after a 14-hour manhunt.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said the shooting was “truly unspeakable.”

“I don’t know how else to describe it. This individual was like a sheep in wolf’s clothing,” Reid said from the Senate floor. “The thought of people who are in a house of worship being gunned down as they gathered to pray is heart-wrenching.”

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) sped up floor debate Thursday on trade legislation to accommodate South Carolina lawmakers who wanted to return to their districts as soon as possible.