CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — An intense manhunt was underway Thursday for a young white man who joined a prayer meeting and then opened fire inside a historic black church in downtown Charleston, killing nine people, including the pastor. Authorities called it a hate crime.

Police released surveillance video photographs of the gunman and a dark colored sedan he may have used to get away.

"This is a very dangerous individual," Police Chief Greg Mullen said. "We want to identify this individual and arrest him before he hurts anyone else."

The suspect stayed for nearly an hour at the prayer meeting Wednesday night before shooting the victims — six females and three males, Mullen said.

The Emanuel AME Church's pastor, state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, was among those killed, State House Minority leader Todd Rutherford told The Associated Press.

Pinckney, 41, was a married father of two who was elected to the state House at 23, making him the youngest member of the House at the time.

"He never had anything bad to say about anybody, even when I thought he should," Rutherford, D-Columbia, said. "He was always out doing work either for his parishioners or his constituents. He touched everybody."

This shooting "should be a warning to us all that we do have a problem in our society," said Rep. Wendell Gilliard, D-Charleston, whose district includes the church. "We need action. There's a race problem in our country. There's a gun problem in our country. We need to act on them quickly."

Mullen said names would be released once families have been notified.

The suspect was described as a white man in his early 20s.

Mullen called it a hate crime; a Justice Department spokesman said federal officials were opening a hate crime investigation. The spokesman spoke on condition of anonymity because the federal investigation had not been officially announced.[More]