Dylann's life before the violent events
Dylann Storm Roof was born on April 3rd, 1994 in Columbia, South Carolina. His parents, Franklin Bennett Roof (nicknamed Benn) and Amelia "Amy" Cowles. They had previously had one daughter together before breaking up. Both were divorced but temporarily reconciled at the time of his birth.
When Roof was five, his father married Paige Mann (née Hastings) in November 1999. The two had a daughter together, giving Dylann a younger half-sister named Morgan.
The family mostly lived in South Carolina, though from about 2005 to 2008, they temporarily moved to the Florida Keys. However, Paige and Benn divorced after 10 years of marriage. Bennett Roof was allegedly verbally and physically abusive towards Mann.
After the divorce, they all decided to separately move back to South Carolina. Roof was living alternately in Bennett's and Cowles' homes in downtown Columbia and Hopkins, respectively, but was mostly raised by his stepmother Mann. In the past several weeks preceding the attack, Roof had also been occasionally living in the home of an old friend from middle school and the latter's mother, two brothers, and girlfriend. He allegedly spent his time using drugs and getting drunk. He had been working as a landscaper at the behest of his father, but quit the job prior to the shooting.
According to a 2009 affidavit filed for Mann's divorce, Roof exhibited signs of obsessive–compulsive disorder as he grew up, obsessing over germs and insisting on having his hair cut in a certain style. When he was in middle school, he exhibited an interest in smoking marijuana, having once been caught spending money on it.
In nine years, Roof attended at least seven schools throughout two counties in South Carolina. He came to fail his first year at White Knoll High School in Lexington and was forced to repeat the ninth grade, finishing it in another school.
He stopped attending classes in 2010 and, according to his family, dropped out of school and spent his time alternating between playing video games and taking drugs. He was on the rolls of a local Lutheran congregation, but it was unclear if he had recently attended.
His maternal uncle, Carson Cowles, said that he expressed concern about the social withdrawal of his then-nineteen-year-old nephew, because "he still didn't have a job, a driver's license or anything like that and he just stayed in his room a lot of the time." Cowles said he tried to mentor Roof, but was rejected and they drifted apart. According to Mann, Roof cut off all contact with her after her divorce from his father. When his sister planned to be married, he did not respond to her invitation to the event.
A former high school classmate said that despite Roof's racist comments, some of his friends in school were African-American.
Dylann had begun spending time in online forums and websites associated with extremist viewpoints. He later stated that he did not discuss the material he was viewing with friends or family, anticipating that they would disagree with his views. During this time, he was reported to have visited websites such as The Daily Stormer and used the username “AryanBlood1488.” He is said to have commented on various posts on the site, though many of these records are no longer available due to the shutdown or restructuring of earlier versions of the platform.
Instead of being influenced through personal interactions or events in his everyday life, Dylann appeared to become increasingly radicalized through his own online activity, spending time searching for and reading material on websites that promoted racist and extremist views.
One childhood friend recalled Roof having a long angry rant about the Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman case in an agitated manner. He was very invested in the case and later admitted that it was a turning point for him and his hatred.
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Roof had a prior police record consisting of two arrests, both made in the months preceding the attack. He was investigated on one occasion during this period but without arrest or charge.
On February 28, 2015, mall security at Columbiana Centre called police after Dylann made employees uneasy with suspicious questions. Police found prescription medication on him without a valid prescription, leading to a misdemeanor drug possession arrest and a one-year ban from the mall.
On March 13, 2015, police investigated Dylann for loitering in his car near a downtown Columbia park. During a vehicle search, officers found an AR-15 forearm grip and six unloaded 40-round magazines. Roof said he wanted to buy an AR-15 but could not afford one. He was not charged, as possessing the grip was legal in South Carolina.
On April 26, 2015, Roof was arrested again for trespassing on the Columbiana Centre mall's grounds in violation of the ban. The ban was then extended for three additional years.
In July 2015, James Comey said that Dylann Roof’s February arrest had first been entered incorrectly as a felony due to a jail clerk’s data entry error, even though it was actually a misdemeanor. The mistake affected the firearm background check process, though it was also unclear whether his drug-related charge would have legally prevented him from buying a gun.
What was Dylann like?
Multiple declarations from individuals who knew Dylann in different stages of his life — including family members, childhood caregivers, neighbors, classmates, and acquaintances often describe him as quiet, socially withdrawn, and isolated.
Declarations:
Look for exhibits 23-40, 42-47, and 94-102.
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