President Barack Obama is scheduled to be in Charleston, S.C., Friday for the first time in eight years for the funeral of the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who was also a state senator, the Post and Courier reports. The president will deliver his fellow Democrat's eulogy, an official confirmed to the news site. Vice President Joe Biden will also be in attendance.
Pinckney was one of nine people killed in the horrific massacre last Wednesday when Dylann Roof allegedly sat in on a regular prayer meeting before opening fire on the unsuspecting congregation. The attack has been called a hate crime by authorities, with Roof allegedly telling his victims that he wanted to kill black people and reportedly telling investigators after being captured that he wanted to start a race war. A hate-filled manifesto posted online has been attributed to the 21-year-old, who faces nine murder charges.
According to the Post and Courier, Pinckney's funeral will be held at 11 a.m. this Friday at the TD Arena at the College of Charleston. The interment will follow at the St. James AME Church in Marion, S.C.
There will be three viewings held this week in honor of Pinckney. On Wednesday he will rest in the Rotunda of the Statehouse in Columbia, S.C., from 1 to 5 p.m. On Thursday, there will be a viewing at the St. John AME Church from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Later than evening, from 6 to 8 p.m., there will be a viewing at Mother Emanuel, his home church, according to the report.
Read more at the Post and Courier.