Rick Perry flubs on Charleston hate crime-mass shooting in interview

Rick Perry's deep thoughts and gaffes

Rick Perry is the United States Secretary of Energy and former governor of Texas.

Click through to see the biggest mistakes, outlandish statements or gaffes by Perry Rick Perry's deep thoughts and gaffes

Rick Perry is the United States Secretary of Energy and former governor of Texas.

Click through to see the biggest mistakes, outlandish statements or gaffes by Perry Photo: Eric Gay, AP Photo: Eric Gay, AP Image 1 of / 29 Caption Close Rick Perry flubs on Charleston hate crime-mass shooting in interview 1 / 29 Back to Gallery

If you thought Rick Perry's "oops" moments were all tapped out in the last presidential election, the former Texas governor has managed to wring out a few more over the massacre in Charleston, S.C., the Guardian reports.

Late Wednesday night, police say Dylann Storm Roof, 21, opened fire inside a historic black church, killing 9 people. Prior to the shooting, one of the surviving witnesses said Roof told the victims this:

"I have to do it. You're raping our women and taking over the country. You have to go."

Friday, the 2016 GOP presidential candidate talked about the shootings with Newsmax TV, calling the murders "an accident" and the possible result of "prescription drug abuse."

"This is the M.O. of this administration, any time there is an accident like this, the president is clear. He doesn't like for Americans to have guns and so he uses every opportunity, this being another one, to basically go parrot that message," he said.

Calling the shootings an accident was likely just a word flub as Perry did clarify they were a hate crime though he did not want to say directly that it was a "act of terror." He did go on to say the "real issue" was Storm's reported abuse of prescription drugs.

"It seems to me – again, without having all the details about this one – that these individuals have been medicated. And there may be a real issue in this country, from the standpoint of these drugs, and how they're used," Perry said.

UPDATE: Later in the day, Perry's communications adviser told Business Insider he meant to say "incident" not accident.

There's been outspoken criticism regarding both the coverage and discussion taking place over the South Carolina shootings, particularly over the reluctance of some news organizations and notable persons to label it both a hate crime and terrorism.