US President Barack Obama paid tribute to the victims of the Charleston shooting, saying the nation has been blind to the "mayhem" caused by gun violence.
Churches around Charleston rang their bells in solidarity with Emanuel AME.
The Charleston police identified the gunman as Dylann Roof of Lexington, South Carolina. They arrested him from neighbouring North Carolina.
Take a look back at the two politicos over the years.
She drove past Dylann Roof's black car, which she recognised from the news, and looked at the driver and also recognised his haircut
As we head into the final year of US President Barack Obama's term, here's a look back at the great images taken by the official White House photographers in 2015.