The Victims
Clementa Pinckney, 41, was the pastor of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and had been a state legislator for 19 years. Pinckney began preaching at age 13 and was first appointed pastor at 18. He was named pastor of Mother Emanuel AME Church in 2010.
Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, 45, was a part-time minister at Emanuel AME Church and worked as a speech pathologist at Goose Creek High School, where she was also the girls track coach. The mother of three had run track herself as a student at South Carolina State University, helping lead her team to a conference championship.
Ethel Lance, 70, was a Charleston native and a member of the church for most of her life. She retired after working for more than 30 years on the housekeeping staff at the city's Gaillard Auditorium. She served as a sexton at the church for the last five years, helping to keep the historic building clean.
Susie Jackson, 87, was a longtime church member and sang in the choir. According to the Charleston Post and Courier, Jackson was a regular at the Wednesday evening Bible study where the attack occurred. Her cousin, Ethel Lance, and nephew, Tywanza Sanders, also died in the shooting.
Cynthia Hurd, 54, managed a branch of the Charleston County library system. In her honor, the system closed all of its branches Thursday, the day after her death. She was looking toward retirement after 31 years of library work. Hurd’s 55th birthday would have been Sunday.
DePayne Middleton-Doctor, 49, was an enrollment counselor at Southern Wesleyan University's Charleston campus. In January, returned to the African Methodist Episcopal Church after attending a Baptist church for years. Middleton-Doctor was a minister in the AME church and led the Wednesday night Bible studies there.
Tywanza Sanders, 26, graduated last year from Allen University, where he studied business. Hours before the shooting, he put his final post on his Instagram account, a meme with a quote from Jackie Robinson: "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.''
Myra Thompson, 59 was the wife of the vicar of Holy Trinity Reformed Episcopal Church in Charleston. According to the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, of which Thompson was a member, she had 10 siblings – nine sisters and a brother.
Daniel Simmons, Sr., 74, was the retired pastor of Greater Zion AME Church in Awendaw, S.C., and was on the staff at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Simmons daughter-in-law told ABC News that Simmons attended the Wednesday night Bible study every week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.