The gunman accused of killing nine black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina, a year ago was attacked in jail on Thursday while on his way to the shower, authorities said.
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Maj. Eric Watson of the Charleston County sheriff’s office said Roof was medically evaluated and returned to his cell, the Associated Press reports.
No weapons were involved in the attack.
But Cannon says Roof and his attorneys don’t want to press charges.
It was there that Dylan Roof was assaulted in the shower by Dwayne Stafford. Stafford, a black inmate, initiated the attack on Roof at approximately 7:45 a.m., according to what Sheriff Al Cannon stated. Both inmates were examined and cleared by the detention center’s medical staff. Roof is scheduled to remain in his original housing unit. He then began assaulting Roof with his hands, the Post and Courier said.
In addition, one of the guard’s had taken a break moments before and the second guard was delivering toilet paper to another inmate. The two detention officers assigned to the unit are being interviewed, and officials also are investigating the possibility of an electronic malfunction, Cannon said.
Asked if Stafford’s assault was racially motivated, Cannon said he knows of no evidence to support that. “We do things day-in and day-out and they become routine”. While I do not condone violence, Stafford’s attack was not unprovoked.
The assailant was Dwayne Stafford, a 26 year old black man who was in jail waiting trail on first degree assault charges and strong armed robbery.
“He assaulted (Roof) for no reason”, Cannon said. “This certainly serves as a wakeup call”.
Stafford was able to hit Roof several times in the face and body before jail staffers separated them.
Roof faces 33 charges in federal court, and nine murder and three attempted murder charges in state court.
Prosecutors allege Dylann Roof wanted to start a race war. He also faces federal hate crime charges, for which he faces the death penalty.
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On Monday his lawyers filed a legal challenge to the us death penalty, saying it was “arbitrary and cruel” and therefore unconstitutional.
