BREAKING: It has been confirmed that State Senator Clementa Pinckney is among the dead in mass church shooting #Charleston

There are also concerns about the senator’s sister, who was reported to have been injured as well, according to Pastor Jamal Bryant’s twitter account, but this has not yet been confirmed.

The shooting has reportedly led to multiple fatalities, and there was even a bomb threat earlier in the evening. Additionally, authorities have confirmed that they suspect that the shooting was a hate crime, leading to investigations by the FBI and other federal agencies,

South Carolina Rep. Peter McCoy tweeted that nine people died in the shooting.

“It’s really bad. It’s a very bad scene,” pastor Thomas Dixon said.

“Apparently the person just entered the church and opened fire. That part has not been fully articulated on what happened yet … they are still looking for the suspect.”