JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A top Mississippi lawmaker said Monday that the Confederate battle emblem is offensive and needs to be removed from the state flag. 
 
 House Speaker Philip Gunn became the first top-tier Republican to call for a change in the flag, which has had the Confederate symbol in the upper left corner since Reconstruction. 
 
 "We must always remember our past, but that does not mean we must let it define us," Gunn, a leader in his local Baptist church, said in a statement. "As a Christian, I believe our state's flag has become a point of offense that needs to be removed. We need to begin having conversations about changing Mississippi's flag." 
 
 Mississippi and Tennessee officials are grappling with whether to retain Old South symbols, even as South Carolina leaders are pushing to remove a Confederate battle flag that flies outside the statehouse there. 
 
 Mississippi voters decided by a 2-to-1 margin in 2001 to keep the state flag that has been used since 1894. It features the Confederate battle emblem — a blue X with 13 stars, over a red field. 
 
 Republican Gov. Phil Bryant on Monday repeated his long-held position that the state should keep the flag as is. 
 
 "A vast majority of Mississippians voted to keep the state's flag, and I don't believe the Mississippi Legislature will act to supersede the will of the people on this issue," Bryant said in a statement. 
 
 Democratic Sen. Kenny Wayne Jones of Canton, chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus, said the Confederate emblem is a "symbol of hatred" often associated with racial violence. Jones said the flag represents the power structure's resistance to change during the 1960s and '70s, when civil rights activists were pushing to dismantle segregation and expand voting rights. 
 
 "We should be constantly re-examining these types of stereotypes that label our state for what it used to be a long time ago," Jones told The Associated Press. 
 
 At the Tennessee Capitol in Nashville, a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general and an early Ku Klux Klan leader, has sat in an alcove outside the Senate chamber for decades. 
 
 Democratic and Republican leaders are calling for the bust to be removed. Craig Fitzhugh, the state House Democratic leader, said it should go to the archives or a museum and be replaced in the Capitol by a statue of Lois DeBerry, an African-American who became the first female speaker pro tempore of the Tennessee House. Women and minorities are underrepresented in government symbols, Fitzhugh wrote. 
 
 "We need to revisit what we have displayed in the Capitol so that it better represents a Tennessee for all of us," he wrote Monday. 
 
 Since the 2001 Mississippi election, bills that proposed changing the flag have gained no traction, with legislators saying voters settled the issue. 
 
 The massacre of nine worshippers at a black church in South Carolina last week renewed public debate about the Confederate battle flag. The white suspect, Dylann Storm Roof, appeared in photos holding the banner. 
 
 Russell Moore, a Mississippi native who serves as president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, wrote in his blog Friday that the Confederate flag — including the emblem on the Mississippi state flag — should be retired. He said its connection with the "great evil" of slavery makes it incompatible with Christianity. 
 
 "White Christians ought to think about what that flag says to our African-American brothers and sisters in Christ, especially in the aftermath of yet another act of white supremacist terrorism against them," Moore wrote. "The gospel frees us from scrapping for our 'heritage' at the expense of others." 
 
 ____ 
 
 Galofaro reported from Louisville, Kentucky. ||||| First the flag. Next, the statues? 
 
 Calls to remove a Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the South Carolina Capitol after last week's church shootings serve as an uncomfortable reminder for many Americans that the Confederacy still commands places of honor across the U.S. — particularly in the U.S. Capitol, where the statues of eight leading Confederate figures grace the grounds. 
 
 There used to be nine, until 2009, when Alabama swapped its statue of Confederate soldier Jabez Curry for one of humanitarian Helen Keller. 
 
 The fact that only four states have ever updated their statues on the Hill is testament to the difficulty involved: New statues must meet certain architectural specifications, and they must pass muster with the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress. And, of course, sculptors have to be hired and the money to pay for them and their materials must be raised. 
 
 Some famous Southerners who served with the Confederacy are honored more for their lives after the war, like John E. Kenna of West Virginia, who enlisted in Gen. Joseph O. Shelby's Iron Brigade at just age 16 in 1864 but became famous as a legal scholar and lawmaker after the war. And Ohio — for now — honors Gov. William Allen, who supported the Southern slave owners. His statue is scheduled to be replaced with one of inventor Thomas Edison, which was unveiled just last month. 
 
 But eight men are enshrined by their states specifically as heroes of the Confederacy: 
 
 Jefferson Davis — Mississippi 
 
 Statue of Jefferson Davis Architect of the U.S. Capitol 
 
 A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, unit commander in the U.S.-Mexican War, member of both houses of Congress, and secretary of war under President Franklin Pierce, Davis resigned from the Senate when the South seceded and was elected president of the Confederate States of America. Many historians blame Davis' desire to control every detail and lack of political skill for his inability to outmaneuver President Abraham Lincoln. 
 
 After the South surrendered in 1865, he was arrested for treason and was imprisoned at Fort Monroe, Virginia, for two years awaiting a trial that never happened. 
 
 Later, he wrote "Rise and Fall of the Confederated States" and died quietly in New Orleans in 1889. 
 
 James Zachariah George — Mississippi 
 
 Statue of James Zacariah George Architect of the U.S. Capitol 
 
 George — who served as a private in the U.S.-Mexican War under Jefferson Davis — was one of the signers of the Ordinance of Secession and became a colonel during the war. 
 
 Twice captured by the North, George — a prominent lawyer in Mississippi before the war, organized law courses for his fellow prisoners. In 1879, he became chief justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court, serving two years before he was appointed to the U.S. Senate, where he is credited with helping to shape the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. 
 
 Wade Hampton III — South Carolina 
 
 Statue of Wade Hampton III Architect of the U.S. Capitol 
 
 Hampton, a planter and farmer before entering state politics in 1852, opposed secession but signed up with the Confederacy out of, he said, loyalty to his state — he even traded his cotton to European merchants for arms for his unit. A brilliant cavalry commander, he rose to lieutenant general, serving in many famous battles, including the First Battle of Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Trevilian Station and Gettysburg. 
 
 After the war, he returned to find his home burned to the ground by the Union Army and became a vocal opponent of Reconstruction and — at least in the writings of some historians — a behind-the-scenes supporter of the Ku Klux Klan. He became governor of South Carolina in 1876 after a disputed election that took six months to settle in the courts, and he then served two terms in the U.S. Senate before becoming railroad commissioner in the government of President Grover Cleveland. Hampton County, South Carolina, is named for him, and at least 47 towns and cities across the state have streets named in his honor. 
 
 Robert E. Lee — Virginia 
 
 Statue of Robert E. Lee Architect of the U.S. Capitol 
 
 A highly decorated 32-year veteran of the U.S. Army — including service as superintendent of the U.S . Military Academy — Lee resigned his commission when the South seceded and accepted command of Confederate forces in Virginia, saying he could never fire on his home state. By May 1862, he was commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, and eventually he became supreme commander of the Southern armies. 
 
 His surrender at Appomattox in April 1865 was the signal for remaining Southern forces to surrender. After the war, Lee — who remained respected by leaders on both sides — became president of what's now Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, supported Reconstruction and worked to reintegrate the South into national affairs. 
 
 Edmund Kirby Smith — Florida 
 
 Statue of Edmund Kirby Smith Architect of the U.S. Capitol 
 
 Smith was honored for bravery in the U.S.-Mexican War of 1846-48 and taught math at the U.S. Military Academy. But in 1861, he resigned from the U.S. Army to join the Confederate army, which eventually promoted him to general. Smith helped to organize the Army of the Shenandoah and was badly wounded at Manassas, but he returned to battle in Mississippi, and on June 2, 1865, he signed the terms of surrender for the last Confederate field army, in Galveston, Texas. 
 
 After he returned to the U.S. under amnesty from Mexico, where he'd fled to avoid prosecution for treason, Smith ran the Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph Co. and became chancellor of the University of Nashville in Tennessee, near what is now Vanderbilt University. When he died in 1893, he was the last surviving full general of either army. 
 
 Alexander Hamilton Stephens — Georgia 
 
 Statue of Alexander Hamilton Stephens Architect of the U.S. Capitol 
 
 Stephens was vice president of the Confederacy — even though he voted against secession. But that doesn't mean he didn't believe in the cause. In March 1861, he delivered the so-called Cornerstone Speech, rallying Southerners to the defense of slavery as "the natural condition of blacks and the foundation of the Confederacy." 
 
 But Stephens bickered frequently with Confederate President Jefferson Davis over several other major issues, and in February 1865, he was he was one of the three Confederate representatives who met with Lincoln at the failed Hampton Roads Conference to find a way to end the war. Stephens returned to Congress in 1873 and in 1882 was elected governor of Georgia, dying only four months after having taken office. Stephens' Capitol statue was produced by Gutzon Borglum — the sculptor of Mount Rushmore. 
 
 Re the Confederacy, statue of CSA VP 14ft from Rosa Parks in Capitol. https://t.co/EdcMEkwKlF — Luke Russert (@LukeRussert) June 22, 2015 
 
 Zebulon Baird Vance — North Carolina 
 
 Statue of Zebulon Baird Vance Architect of the U.S. Capitol 
 
 A member of Congress and opponent of secession until President Abraham Lincoln called for troops to put down the Southern rebellion in 1861, Vance organized his own company of Rough and Ready Guards of the 14th North Carolina Regiment. In 1862, he became governor of North Carolina, overseeing the Confederacy's harsh conscription laws. 
 
 Briefly imprisoned by the North near the end of the war, Vance returned to law practice afterward, returned as governor in 1877 and was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 1879, serving until his death in 1894. Vance's Capitol statue also was produced by Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor of Mount Rushmore. 
 
 Joseph Wheeler — Alabama 
 
 Statue of Joseph Wheeler Architect of the U.S. Capitol 
 
 The Confederate commander, Gen. Robert E . Lee, called "Fighting Joe" Wheeler — who helped lead the defense of Atlanta against Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman's "March to the Sea" in 1864 — one of the Confederate army's two best cavalry leaders. 
 
 Historians credit Wheeler, however, with working to unite North and South after the Civil War as a member of Congress for almost 20 years until 1900. Wheeler, in fact, rejoined the U.S. military in 1898 and saw action as a cavalry commander during the Spanish-American War. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. ||||| 
 
 A Confederate flag flies outside the South Carolina State House in a 2012 photo. (REUTERS/Chris Keane/files) 
 
 The shooting of nine black Charleston churchgoers by a young man allegedly inspired by white supremacist ideology has reignited a controversy over the proper place of the Confederate flag in contemporary society. Photos have surfaced showing the suspect, 21-year-old Dylann Roof, brandishing the flag. It adorned the license plates on his car. And due to an odd quirk of South Carolina law, the Confederate flag on the statehouse ground -- seen above, in the form of the Confederate Battle Flag -- flew at full mast this week even as the state and U.S. flag were lowered. 
 
 1 of 64 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × The Confederate flag on display, from 1938 to today View Photos Public moments featuring the Confederate flag. Caption Public moments featuring the Confederate flag. July 7, 2015 Jalaludin Abdul-Hamid, center, talks to a Confederate flag supporter outside the South Carolina statehouse in Columbia. Sean Rayford/Getty Images Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue. 
 
 Defenders of the flag say it's a symbol of Southern heritage. Detractors maintain that hatred and racism are an inextricable part of that heritage. With all the focus on South Carolina, it's easy to forget that Confederate symbolism still adorns many official state flags in the South. Some states, like Georgia and Mississippi, have seen fierce political battles over explicit Confederate imagery in their flags. In other states, the references are subtler. 
 
 As of the 2010 Census, these state were home to about 60 million Americans -- including 12 million African-Americans, meaning roughly one third of the nation's black population lives under a state flag that evokes, at least in the eyes of many, the Confederacy. Take a look below. 
 
 Alabama 
 
 
 
 The red cross of the Alabama flag, adopted in 1895, was designed to evoke the battle flag of the Alabama infantry in the Civil War. That's according to a written account of the flag's history given by the attorney general of Alabama in 1987. 
 
 Arkansas 
 
 The Arkansas state flag was officially adopted in 1913, according to the Arkansas Secretary of State. There were initially three blue stars "representing that Arkansas belonged to three countries (France, Spain, and the United States) before attaining statehood." The secretary of state noted "1803 was the year of the Louisiana Purchase when the land that is now Arkansas was acquired by the United States; and Arkansas was the third state created from the purchase by the United States, after Louisiana and Missouri." 
 
 But 10 years later, trouble brewed when legislators realized that "there was no indication on the flag the Arkansas had been a member of the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865." So a fourth star was added, above the word Arkansas. 
 
 "The lone star above the word is to commemorate Arkansas’s membership in the Confederacy," wrote the Secretary of State. 
 
 Florida 
 
 Florida's flag is similar to Alabama's, consisting of a state seal over a red cross. The cross was added to the flag a few years after Alabama adopted its flag, at the suggestion of Governor Francis P. Fleming. Fleming had enlisted in the Confederate army in his youth, and some historians see his choice of the cross as an attempt to memorialize the confederacy. 
 
 Georgia 
 
 Georgia's flag has a long and complicated history. The Confederate battle flag was incorporated in to the state flag's design in 1956, a symbol of the state's opposition to racial integration, according to a report by the state Senate in 2000. The design was changed by the legislature in 2001, over the stiff opposition of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and other groups. 
 
 In 2002, Sonny Perdue was elected Governor of Georgia, partly by promising voters a referendum on the new flag. In the end, the legislature changed it to a new design: it consists of the first national flag of the Confederacy (the "Stars and Bars") with the addition of the Georgia seal. 
 
 Mississippi 
 
 Mississippi remains the only state incorporating the Confederate battle flag into its state flag design. It was adopted in 1894. 
 
 In 2001, a voter referendum was held to determine whether to keep the existing flag, or to adopt a new flag design removing Confederate elements. Voters opted to keep the existing flag by nearly a two-to-one margin. 
 
 North Carolina 
 
 The current North Carolina state flag was adopted in 1885. It closely resembles the flag adopted in 1861, shortly after North Carolina seceded from the Union. The first date on the flag, May 20, 1775, is the date of the so-called Mecklenburg Declaration, a purported statement of independence from Great Britain that happened in North Carolina, although the exact nature of the declaration is disputed. 
 
 But during the Civil War, Southern secessionist leaders evoked the Mecklenburg Declaration as a parallel to the South's declaration of independence from the North. Addressing a crowd in Charlotte, N.C., Jefferson Davis is reported to have said "people of this section were the first to defy British authority and declare themselves free." 
 
 In the original flag, the second date was May 20th, 1861 -- the date of North Carolina's withdrawal from the Union. In 1885, that date was changed April 12, 1776 -- the date of the Halifax resolves, when North Carolina officially called for independence from Great Britain. 
 
 Tennessee 
 
 The Tennessee Legislature adopted the current flag in 1905. In a 2013 article, vexillologist Steven A Knowlton argues that "the Tennessee flag has pragmatic unity with the Confederate flag: both share the element of white stars inside a fimbriated blue charge, and the element of that blue charge on a red field." He also notes a resemblance between the flag's vertical bars and the vertical bar of the third national flag of the Confederacy. 
 
 But he concludes that one interesting aspect of the Tennessee flag is plausible deniability: "it is reasonable to say a logo is only expressing Tennessee pride, even if deeper symbolic recognition does link it to Confederate imagery." ||||| Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period. ||||| Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley calls for the removal of the Confederate rebel flag from state house grounds. VPC 
 
 Two women hold posters against the Confederate flag during a protest rally in Columbia, S.C., June 20, 2015. (Photo: Mladen Antonov, AFP/Getty Images) 
 
 A group of political and religious leaders from Charleston, S.C., are headed to Columbia, the state's capital, to call on lawmakers to remove the Confederate battle flag flying on the State House grounds. But even if they manage to gain the needed votes, it may be months before the flag actually comes down. 
 
 Across the nation there has been a growing outcry for the flag to be removed after nine black worshipers were killed by a gunman with allegedly white supremacist views during a prayer meeting at the Emanuel AME church in Charleston last week. 
 
 The push to take down the flag is the latest chapter in a heated debate that has roiled the Palmetto State for more than 50 years, and several political obstacles make any quick resolution of the argument unlikely. 
 
 Prominent voices within South Carolina have joined in the call for the flag's removal, including Gov. Nikki Haley. "It's time to move the flag from the Capitol grounds," she said during a press conference Monday. 
 
 House Speaker Jay Lucas on Monday called for a "swift resolution of this issue." 
 
 The state legislature is set to meet Tuesday to discuss the budget, and officials, including Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley and local State Sen. Marlon Kimpson, have called on the legislators to stay in session and vote on removing the flag. They plan to continue that call at a rally in front of the State House at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. 
 
 The Rev. Nelson B. Rivers III of the National Action Network is calling for the flag to be taken down before State Sen. Clementa Pinckney, who also was chief pastor of Emanuel AME and who was killed in the attack, lies in state at the South Carolina Capitol on Wednesday. 
 
 Winning a vote to remove the flag will be no small feat, however, and it almost certainly won't happen by Wednesday. 
 
 As part of a deal reached 15 years ago, two-thirds of both chambers of the state legislature must vote to remove the flag. 
 
 Kimpson, a Democrat, says there is a "growing chorus" of members interested in taking up a debate on the flag during Tuesday's session, but even to bring the matter up for discussion would require the support of two-thirds of the legislators. 
 
 What's more, even if lawmakers agree to discuss a bill calling for the flag's removal, procedural hurdles will take time to overcome, State Rep. Todd Rutherford, also a Democrat, says. The bill would have to clear the judiciary committee and then come back to the floor for debate, Rutherford says. 
 
 "If I had to set a deadline, I'd say about August 1st, hopefully before September, but the House is going to work as soon as possible to get it done," he told WLTX-TV. 
 
 Sen. Larry Martin, a Republican who heads the state Senate Judiciary Committee, said he favors waiting until at least next week to take on the matter. 
 
 Sen. Mike Fair, also a Republican, favors holding off until January for a debate, saying the push for a vote now is "almost being opportunistic." 
 
 Haley said that if lawmakers don't take up the the flag debate this summer, she will call them back for a special session. 
 
 "There will be a time for discussion and debate. The time for action is coming soon," Haley said. 
 
 Haley is not the first South Carolina governor to call for the flag's removal from government buildings. In 1996, then-governor David Beasley pushed to have it removed from the Capitol dome, only to back off and then be driven from office two years later in the political blowback. 
 
 The Confederate battle flag first flew atop the State House in 1962 as part of the Civil War centennial commemoration, where it remained, despite persistent protest from civil rights groups, until 2000. That year a political compromise led to the flag being removed from the Capitol Dome and another raised on a 30-foot flagpole at the Confederate Soldier Monument in front of the State House. 
 
 Many South Carolinians, such as Leland Summers, the head of the state's chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, say the flag is about history and heritage, not hate. 
 
 "Do not associate the cowardly actions of a racist to our Confederate Banner," Summers said in a statement. "There is absolutely no link between The Charleston Massacre and The Confederate Memorial Banner. Don't try to create one." 
 
 For others the flag is a symbol of the state's legacy of slavery and racial oppression. 
 
 Rivers calls it a symbol of "hate and division." 
 
 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING South Carolina govenor to address the Confederate flag issue | 0:19 South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is expected to call for the Confederate flag to be removed from the state capitol. Kinfay Moroti/USA Today 1 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Large crowd gathers as Emanuel AME church holds service | 1:44 A message of hope was spread through Emanuel AME Church in Charleston on Sunday. The church held its first worship service since a shooting that left 9 people dead. Even those that had to worship outside were happy to be there. WLTX TV 2 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Church's message of hope rings out in Charleston | 1:10 Members of Mother Emanuel AME Church return to service Sunday in Charleston, South Carolina. Thousands of people listened to the service outside the church. Kinfay Moroti/ USA TODAY 3 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING 1st Church Service Held after Bible Study Attack | 2:05 Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church opened its doors on Sunday for the first time following a deadly shooting that killed 9 church members. (June 21) AP 4 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Raw: Bells Toll in Honor of Slain Church Members | 1:55 Church bells rang throughout Charleston in remembrance of nine people who were slain during a Bible study. (June 21) AP 5 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING 1st Church Service Held After SC Shooting | 1:42 Members of a historic black church worshiped at their sanctuary Sunday for the first time since a gunman opened fire at a Bible study, killing nine people. (June 21) AP 6 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Faith leaders hold interfaith, interracial prayer service | 1:42 A time of mourning after the Charleston church shooting in South Carolina is bringing people together from different races and religions. VPC 7 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Mass killing alludes to Charleston's historic racial strife | 2:34 The mass killing in Charleston, South Carolina alludes to the city's historic racial strife. Local resident share their thoughts on Charleston's past, present and future. VIDEO BY KINFAY MOROTI/USA TODAY 8 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Roof's purported manifesto under investigation | 1:04 A manifesto purportedly written by accused killer Dylann Roof could explain why Charleston was targeted in the church shootings and what motivated the deadly attack. VPC 9 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Charleston shooting victims were loved, respected | 1:12 Loved ones share their memories of those killed in the shooting at Charleston's Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church as well as their thoughts on the accused killer Dylann Roof. VPC 10 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Charleston unites to remember church shooting victims | 1:21 Charleston residents joined hands and voices at the city's first official vigil following the murders of nine people at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. WCNC 11 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Armed posses to protect black churches in Arizona | 1:12 Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio will send armed posses of volunteers to 60 black churches around Phoenix, following the deadly attack on a historically black church in Charleston. Arpaio's office has previously been accused of racial profiling. VPC 12 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Charleston shooting shines spotlight on Confederate flag | 1:29 The murders of nine African Americans inside a historically black Charleston church have reignited calls to take down the Confederate flag outside South Carolina's Statehouse, but the historic symbol won't come down easily, if it does at all. VPC 13 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Finding forgiveness in Charleston | 2:20 Charleston residents share thier thoughts Friday on forgiving Dylan Roof, who has been charged with nine counts of murder in the shooting at Emanuel AME Church is Charleston, South Carolina. Video by Kinfay Moroti/USA TODAY 14 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING 'I forgive you.' Charleston victims' families send powerful message | 1:34 Family members of the nine victims killed in a shooting at a Charleston church confronted the suspect Dylann Roof in court Friday, sending a powerful and emotional message. VPC 15 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Charleston mayor: Death penalty likely to be sought | 0:36 Charleston, South Carolina Mayor Joseph Riley said although he doesn't condone the death penalty, he thinks prosecutors will seek it in the Emanuel AME church shooting. VPC 16 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Keeping churches safe: Pastors seek help after shooting | 1:08 In the aftermath of the Charleston, S.C. shooting, a North Carolina police department is offering special training sessions for religious leaders who want to know how to bette keep their congregations safe. VPC 17 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Images of Dylann Roof suggest racist ideology | 0:56 The 21-year-old man accused of killing nine people as they worshiped at a Charleston, South Carolina church has a criminal past. Dylann Roof was arrested twice this year and images of him posted to social media seem to show a racist ideology. WCNC 18 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Shooting victims' families to Dylann Roof: We 'forgive you' | 7:04 Dylann Roof, the suspect in the mass shootings that killed nine at a Charleston church, appeared in court for his bond hearing Friday. Family members of the victims addressed Roof emotionally, and said that they "forgive" him and "hate won't win." USA TODAY 19 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Charleston youths coping with aftermath of church shooting | 1:18 Families talk about the challenges of explaining the Charleston church shooting to young children. VPC 20 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Dylann Roof led from station in bullet proof vest | 0:43 Dylann Roof, the 21-year-old accused of shooting and killing nine people at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC is led out of the Shelby, NC Police Dept. in handcuffs and a bullet proof vest. He was caught in Shelby with the help of a tip. WCNC 21 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Memorial grows in Charleston one day after shooting | 0:40 A memorial for the nine people who died at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston when a gunman opened fire on a prayer service is growing, as people gather to pay tribute to the dead while focusing on healing. VPC 22 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Jon Stewart skips jokes, gets serious about Charleston | 1:37 Jon Stewart's latest 'Daily Show' appearance was a somber one — in the wake of the tragedy in Charleston, South Carolina, where Dylann Roof is accused of killing six women and three men Wednesday, Stewart decided to forego his usual jokes completely. USA TODAY 23 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Florist's tip led to capture of Charleston shooting suspect | 1:49 The suspect in the mass shotting at a Charleston church, Dylann Storm Roof, was captured in Shelby, North Carolina, thanks to a tip from a local florist. WCNC-TV 24 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Nighttime images of a church shattered by shooting | 0:39 Night at Emanuel A.M.E Church in Charleston, South Carolina is filled with despair, remembrance and small flames of hope, Video by Kinfay Moroti/USA TODAY USA TODAY 25 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Hundreds gather at Charleston church to pay respect | 1:48 Members of a neighboring church attended a special service before walking over to the Emanuel AME church to pay their respect to the victims lost in the mass shooting. WCNC 26 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Charleston shooting victims include pastors, recent grad | 4:52 The community of Charleston, SC is coming together to remember the lives of those killed inside the Emanuel AME Church. VPC 27 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Charleston residents struggle to understand shooting | 1:08 Scenes from the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on Thursday in Charleston, South Carolina. Nine people were killed in a mass shooting Wednesday during service. Kinfay Moroti, Gannett 28 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Historic black churches rethink security after shooting | 1:49 On the heels of the Charleston, South Carolina church massacre, historic black churches in Atlanta not only grieve, but rethink security measures. WXIA-TV, Atlanta 29 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING A 'heartbroken' Charleston gathers to mourn shooting victims | 0:57 Hundreds gathered to pay tribute to the nine victims of a church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina. VPC 30 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Suspect arrested in Charleston church shooting | 0:39 Charleston authorities have arrested 21-year-old Dylann Roof in connection with the killing of nine people at Emanuel AME church. Roof was arrested during a traffic stop in Shelby, North Carolina. VPC 31 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Raw: See people praying, hugging outside of SC church | 0:55 The community of Charleston, South Carolina is coming together to mourn the victim's of the Emaneul AME Church shooting. USA TODAY 32 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Pinckney colleague: 'Biggest heart you could imagine' | 1:25 South Carolina state senators became emotional during Thursday's session as they reflected on slain state Senator Clementa Pinckney, who was among those killed in the Charleston church shooting. His chair was draped in black fabric in his absence. VPC 33 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Obama: I've made statements like this 'too many times' | 2:20 President Obama spoke about the tragedy at a church in Charleston, S.C., saying he's made a speech like this too often. The president says he knew the pastor who was killed at the Emanuel AME church, where 9 people were killed while praying. VPC 34 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Gov. Haley cries: 'Heart and soul of S.C. was broken' | 1:25 South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley got emotional while speaking at a press conference about the massacre at Emanuel AME church in Charleston where a gunman opened fire at a prayer service killing nine people. WLTX 35 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Attorney General: Charleston shooting 'barbaric' | 1:24 Speaking at a press conference, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch called the shooting that killed 9 people at Emanuel AME church in Charleston, South Carolina both "barbaric" and "heartless." VPC 36 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Slain pastor Clementa Pinckney will be 'sorely missed' | 1:07 Pastor Clementa Pinckney is among those killed in a shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. The 41-year-old was also serving as a South Carolina state senator at the time of his death. WLTX-TV 37 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Charleston police: 'We will catch' church shooter | 1:12 Chief Gregory Mullen emphasized his department's commitment to catching the man suspected of killing nine people at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. Police confirm they currently do not know where the suspect is. WLTX TV 38 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Pastor killed in church massacre was a 'leader' | 1:01 After news of South Carolina state senator and pastor Clementa Pinckney's death at the hands of a gunman at his Charleston church, fellow State Senator Kevin Johnson said Pinckney had a passion for the less fortunate in his state. WLTX 39 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING 9 dead in Charleston after church massacre | 0:58 Nine people, including state senator Celementa Pinckney, were killed during a shooting at a historic black church in Charleston, S.C. Pinckney was also the pastor of the church. Police say the shooting was a hate crime. VPC 40 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Sen. killed in church wanted 'people to feel safe' there | 0:30 The S.C. state Senator and pastor killed when a gunman shot up his Charleston church was an advocate for safe churches. In the state legislator in 2013, Sen. Clementa Pinckney supported a bill that would expand penalties for church vandalism. WLTX 41 of 42 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE CHARLESTON, S.C. CHURCH SHOOTING Police: Charleston church shooting was a hate crime | 0:54 Authorities are looking for a young white man in connection to the massacre at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC where a gunman opened fire, killing nine people. WLTX TV 42 of 42 Last VideoNext Video South Carolina govenor to address the Confederate flag issue 
 
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 Gov. Haley cries: 'Heart and soul of S.C. was broken' 
 
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 Slain pastor Clementa Pinckney will be 'sorely missed' 
 
 Charleston police: 'We will catch' church shooter 
 
 Pastor killed in church massacre was a 'leader' 
 
 9 dead in Charleston after church massacre 
 
 Sen. killed in church wanted 'people to feel safe' there 
 
 Police: Charleston church shooting was a hate crime 
 
 "The flag is the symbol of the worst of South Carolina's past," he said. 
 
 Haley said she is not interested in picking winners and losers in the debate, but said the time has come for the flag on the State House grounds to go. 
 
 "For those who wish to show their respect for the flag on their private property, no one will stand in your way," Haley said. "But the State House is different. And the events of the past week call upon all of us to look at this in a different way." 
 
 William Cummings reported from McLean, Va. Contributing: Yamiche Alcindor, USA TODAY; Tony Santaella, WLTX-TV, Columbia, S.C.; and The Associated Press 
 
 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE In wake of the shooting deaths of nine people inside a historic South Carolina church, some major department stores announced they would stop carrying the controversial Confederate Flag. Buzz60's Leigh Scheps (@LeighTVReporter) reports. Buzz60 
 
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– Yesterday was the 150th anniversary of the day the last shots of the Civil War were fired and it turned out to be a bad day for symbols of the Confederacy: South Carolina's top lawmakers called for the Confederate battle flag's removal from the state Capitol and Walmart stopped selling items bearing the flag. But wiping those symbols from America may not be so easy. The latest: The National Statuary Hall at the US Capitol is a surprising stronghold of statues of important Confederate figures, with no fewer than eight on display, including Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, reports NBC, which notes that the count doesn't include those who served as Confederate soldiers but are better known for their lives after the war. Each state has two historic figures in the collection and replacements are rare, although Alabama replaced Confederate military officer Jabez Curry with Helen Keller in 2009. Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Florida each have one Confederate statue in the collection; Mississippi has two. A top GOP lawmaker in Mississippi broke ranks yesterday to call for the Confederate emblem's removal from the state flag, the AP reports. "We must always remember our past, but that does not mean we must let it define us," House Speaker Philip Gunn said in a statement. "As a Christian, I believe our state's flag has become a point of offense that needs to be removed." So what do Americans think? The Hill reports on a poll from the left-leaning Center for American Progress Action Fund that found 21% of Americans support flying the flag at government buildings. When it comes to the flag flying at the state capitol in Columbia, it'll almost certainly fly over the casket of State Sen. Clementa Pinckney when he lies in state there tomorrow, reports USA Today. Though officials plan to bring up the flag in a legislative session today, USA Today explains that the lengthy process requires a few two-thirds votes, a clearing of the judiciary committee, and floor debate. A Democratic state rep predicts Aug. 1 as a feasible deadline; a Republican state senator suggests waiting until 2016 rather than staging an "almost ... opportunistic" vote now. Gov. Nikki Haley has said she'll call a special session if the topic isn't tackled this summer. Fascinating additional reading: The Washington Post takes a look at the subtle ways in which the "Confederacy lives on in the flags of seven Southern states."