Following white supremacist Dylann Roof’s racially motivated murders of nine churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina, authorities are now investigating what could possibly be a series of arson-related hate crimes.
Six predominately Black churches have recently been damaged or destroyed entirely by fire, and there is reason to believe that at least three are arson. During this time period, there have been no attacks on churches with predominately white parishioners.
The first one targeted College Hills Seventh Day Adventist Church, located in Knoxville, Tenn., on June 22. Several spots on the property were burned, as well as the church’s van. According to authorities, it is unclear if the incident can be classified as a hate crime because no clue was left as to why these specific victims were targeted.
