Graphic crime scene photos at Dylann Roof trial show carnage inside Emanuel AME Church
Graphic images of bodies, blood and bullets flashed before a jury and families of the dead Thursday as federal prosecutors continued to build their case against a self-avowed white supremacist accused of turning a cherished Charleston sanctuary into a gruesome tomb.
Dylann Roof, 22, sat still and expressionless, looking down at the defense table, as federal prosecutors in his hate crimes trial showed 360-degree image scans from inside the Emanuel AME Church fellowship hall where nine black worshipers died in a barrage of bullets. The chilling images showed the dead lying on a white tile floor smeared with blood and littered with spent shell casings and emptied magazines that had been cast aside when their rounds were exhausted.
Brittany Burke, a former State Law Enforcement Division crime scene technician, methodically walked the court through the visual display, identifying the fallen and pointing out evidence left in the killer's wake. Despite a warning from the presiding judge "that there's no shame in stepping out for this," about 50 victims' loved ones filled half of the courtroom as the horrific images appeared on two TV screens in front of them. One family member left the courtroom, while soft cries wafted through the gallery.
In all, SLED collected 74 shell casings from the room, and 54 rounds were pulled from the victims' bodies during autopsies, Burke said.
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