The US Department of Justice charged the death penalty against 22 year old white supremacist Dylann Roof in the case of deadly shooting in a South Carolinian African-American church that killed eight black parishioners and their pastor in last year.

"Following the department's rigorous review process to thoroughly consider all relevant factual and legal issues, I have determined that the Justice Department will seek the death penalty," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement. "The nature of the alleged crime and the resulting harm compelled this decision."

When he was about to attack the African-American church, the 22-year-old Roof was attending a Bible study meeting at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in June, said prosecutors. He hesitated at first because "everyone was so nice," he would later say, but then he announced he was there to "shoot black people," said investigators. Nine laid dead at the end of the attack including popular church pastor and South Carolina State Senator, Clementa Pinckney.

Police said before he started to fire he spent an hour sitting with parishioners. He targeted the victims because of the race and he holds white supremacist views.

Witnesses said, Roof left three people alive so they could "tell what happened." He reportedly added: "I have to do it. You rape our women and you're taking over our country, and you have to go."

According to officials, He had selfies on his website posing with the Confederate flag and the banner of apartheid South Africa, and posted a "manifesto" declaring his violent mission.

Thousand attended the funeral and The President Barack Obama was among them and he ended his eulogy for Mr Pinckney by singing Amazing Grace.

-Mayuka