Washington: Nearly a year after the brutal shooting deaths of nine black parishioners at a Charleston, South Carolina, church, the US Justice Department is seeking the death penalty against the man charged in the killings.
Read: Charleston shooting: Accused indicted for 33 federal counts
The decision announced Tuesday means state and federal prosecutors are now seeking the maximum penalty against 22-year-old Dylann Roof in the June 17 shootings at Emanuel AME Church.
State Solicitor Scarlett Wilson in September announced her decision to pursue the death penalty against Roof on nine murder counts.
The possibility of a federal death penalty case has loomed over the case since the government announced last summer Roof would face hate crime charges, saying he was motivated by racial hatred and a desire to commit a "notorious attack" when he opened fire inside the church.
