The victims of the hate crime shooting at a historic black church in Charleston had gathered there Wednesday night for a prayer group.

Among them was Dylann Roof, a 21-year-old white male who, one hour later, opened fire, killing six women and three men.

Here's what we know about those who lost their lives.

Rev. Clementa Pinckney

Sen. Clementa Pinckney speaks at the South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia in June 2014. Image: Grace Beahm/The Post and Courier via AP/Associated Press

The pastor of the the Emanuel AME Church, a well-known community leader and civil rights advocate who is also a popular state senator, was among the victims.

See also: Charleston church pastor was a senator and civil rights leader

Sen. Rev. Clementa Pinckney, 41, "answered the call to preach at the age of thirteen," the church's website states. He became at pastor at 18. Pinckney was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives at 23 and the state Senate at 27, making him the youngest African-American in South Carolina to be elected to the State Legislature.

On Thursday, Sen. Pinckney's desk was draped in a black mourning cloth.

The desk of state Sen. Clementa Pinckney the morning after he was killed in a shooting. Image: Rainier Ehrhardt/Associated Press

He is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and two children, Eliana and Malana.

Sharonda Coleman-Singleton

Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, who local media say was a victim of the Charleston church shooting. Image: Facebook

Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, 45, was high-school girls' track and field coach who served as a reverend at her local church, according to the Berkeley Independent.

She had worked in Berkeley County Public Schools since 2007, according to her LinkedIn page, where she's been endorsed for skills relating to Early Intervention, Speech and the Autism Spectrum. On Facebook, Coleman-Singleton listed My Black is Beautiful, Special Mommie Life and the Mother Emanuel AME Church as interests.

Coleman-Singleton had a son named Chris, who is a rising college sophomore at Charleston Southern University, where he plays baseball.

“She was one of the best baseball fans you could have for your team,” Goose Creek Gators baseball coach Chris Pond said Thursday morning. "She loved baseball and loved Chris… She loved everyone and always had a positive attitude about everything. She’ll be greatly missed."

Referring to her son, Charleston Southern University President Jairy C. Hunter Jr. said: "Chris is a member of our baseball team. The CSU family is praying for Chris and his family during this painful time. CSU coaches and campus ministers are assisting the Singleton family as they deal with this tragedy.”

Chris sent a tweet late Wednesday night asking for prayers after "something terrible" happened to his mom.

Something extremely terrible has happened to my mom tonight, please pray for her and my family. Pray asap — Chris Singleton (@csingleton__2) June 18, 2015

Charleston Southern says it is planning a prayer vigil on June 22 at 11:30 a.m. on campus.

Tywanza Sanders

Tywanza Sanders graduated in 2014 from Allen University.

Tywanza "quiet, well-known student who was committed to his education," university Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Dr. Flavia Eldemire told Mashable. Eldemire added that Sanders, 26, had a "warm and helpful spirit."

Friends say Allen University alumnus Tywanza Sanders was also killed in the #Charleston shooting. pic.twitter.com/BMZwS0Brdz — Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoFOX46) June 18, 2015

“Our hearts and prayers are with the families of these two victims of this senseless act of violence," said Dr. Lady June Cole, interim president of Allen University.

Tywanza, who posted a video on Snapchat in the moments before the attack, is remembered as a "chill dude" and "positive" by friends on Twitter.

RIP Wanza, one of the coolest dudes I knew at AU. Rest easy #PrayersForCharleston — James (@JamesC_22) June 18, 2015

"The good die young but that ain't how it's supposed to," one said.

Cynthia Hurd

Cynthia Hurd, Regional Branch Manager at Charleston County Public Library, was reported killed in the Charleston church shooting on June 18, 2015. This photo was taken November 3, 2011 and shared on the library's Flickr page. Image: Flickr, Charleston County Public Library

Cynthia Hurd was a 31-year employee of Charleston County Public Library. Her brother, Malcolm Graham, issued a statement confirming his sister, 54, was a victim of the shooting.

"It is unimaginable that she would walk into a church and not return,” wrote Graham. “But that’s who she was — a woman of faith."

The library posted on its Facebook page that it was "saddened to confirm the loss of one of our own in Wednesday's shooting." It added that Hurd "dedicated her life to serving and improving the lives of others."

Hurd can be seen in photos on the library's Flickr page helping colleagues and competing in the 2011 Staff Day Corn Hole Tournament.

The library's branches will close Thursday and Friday in her memory.

Myra Thompson

Myra Thompson, wife of the Rev. Anthony Thompson, who is Vicar of Holy Trinity REC Church in Charleston, was killed in the shooting, according to a statement from Archbishop Foley Beach, who is Primate of the Anglican Church in North America.

She was 59.

"Please join me in praying for the Rev. Anthony Thompson, Vicar of Holy Trinity REC (ACNA) Church in Charleston, his family, and their congregation, with the killing of his wife, Myra, in the Charleston shootings last night," he wrote in a Facebook post.

A fraternal organization associated with the Anglican Church also asked for prayers on Twitter.

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Myra Thompson, the wife of Fr. Anthony of Holy Trinity REC in Charleston. #CharlestonShooting — The FSAC (@theFSAC) June 18, 2015

Ethel Lee Lance

Ethel Lee Lance, a 70-year-old grandmother, had worked at the church for 30 years. Her daughter confirmed her death to ABC News, and the Post and Courier spoke with Lance's grandson.

Susie Jackson

Susie Jackson, 87, was Lance's cousin and also a longtime church member, the Post and Courier reported.

87-year-old Susie Jackson, a longtime member of the church...also a victim of this hate crime/terrorist attack! pic.twitter.com/74CDn3HQWQ — Deana Wright (@MsDeanaWright) June 18, 2015

Speaking to Cleveland's News Net 5, Tim Jackson, her grandson, said it was "hard to process that my grandma had to leave earth this way."

"Her being at the church this late showed her commitment as far as being in a church environment," he said, adding that she was "very well-known around the church" and the neighborhood.

Rev. Daniel Simmons

The Rev. Daniel Simmons, 74, was the only shooting victim who did not die at the scene, Charleston's coroner said on Thursday afternoon. He died in the operating room at a local hospital.

He was said to be a retired pastor from another church who attended Emmanuel twice a week for services.

"I can't believe that Rev. Dan Simmons is gone. This man baptized me, married my parents, and eulogized my granny," one woman wrote on Twitter.

I can't believe that Rev. Dan Simmons is gone. This man baptized me, married my parents, and eulogized my granny — Sh'Kur Francis (@_shkurfrancis) June 18, 2015

"My former pastor, The Reverend Daniel Simmons Sr., dead at the hospital last night," wrote another.

My former pastor, The Reverend Daniel Simmons Sr., dead at the hospital last night. — Sh'Kur Francis (@_shkurfrancis) June 18, 2015

A young woman who identified herself as Simmons's granddaughter said in the wake of the shooting on Twitter that she "never really accepted that so much hate is in our country until now." When the news broke that her grandfather made it to the hospital before he died, Simmons tweeted, "All Simmons go out with a fight."

They finally released the names.. #rip to my grandfather... Daniel Lee Simmons Sr. #CharlestonChurchShooting — ✨Anya✨ (@_QueenElizvbeth) June 18, 2015

In an email to Mashable, she added, "My grandfather was an amazing man. It seemed like everything that he spoke was pure wisdom... And as a teenager, I need all the wisdom I can get."

DePayne Middleton-Doctor

DePayne Middleton-Doctor, was a former manager at the U.S. Department of Commerce and a former Charleston County community development director who graduated from Southern Wesleyan University, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Doctor, 49, was the mother to four daughters and sang in the church choir.

What you can do

Charleston Mayor Joseph Riley announced on Wednesday that the city has established the Mother Emanuel Hope Fund "to be a vehicle for citizens of our community and citizens around the country” who want to support the shooting victims’ families. The city started it out with $5,000. You can give money at any Wells Fargo Bank. A website — motheremanuelhopefund.com — is expected to be up shortly and you can donate there as well.