--- description: The families of some of the victims killed in the Charleston church shooting are suing the FBI title: Families of Charleston Shooting Victims Are Suing the FBI image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Families of Charleston Shooting Victims Are Suing the FBI by [Rosalie Chan](/author/rosalie-chan/) ## Rosalie Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 1, 2016 4:36 PM CUT by [Rosalie Chan](/author/rosalie-chan/) ## Rosalie Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 1, 2016 4:36 PM CUT The families of some of the [victims](http://time.com/time-magazine-charleston-shooting-cover-story/?iid=sr-link6 "undefined") killed in the [Charleston church shooting](http://time.com/3926112/charleston-shooting-latest/?iid=sr-link1 "undefined") are [suing the FBI](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/6ca2d2cf4eff422a85b9d5b2856dce2e/charleston-church-shooting-victims-sue-fbi-over-gun-buy "undefined"), saying that mistakes allowed [Dylann Roof ](http://time.com/3926149/charleston-shooting/?iid=sr-link5 "undefined")to buy the gun used in the massacre. [Roof](http://time.com/3926263/charleston-church-shooting-dylann-roof/?iid=sr-link1 "undefined") bought a .45-caliber handgun, which he used in the June 2015 [shootings at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston](http://time.com/3928807/charleston-church-shooting-victims-dylann-roof/?iid=sr-link7 "undefined") to kill nine people. FBI Director James Comey has promised a full review, saying that Roof should not have been able to buy the gun, [the _Associated Press_ reported](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/6ca2d2cf4eff422a85b9d5b2856dce2e/charleston-church-shooting-victims-sue-fbi-over-gun-buy "undefined"). The mistake stems from a clerk [entering incorrect information about Roof’s arrest on a felony drug charge](http://time.com/3953966/background-check-error-dylann-roof-gun/?iid=sr-link6 "undefined"), which prevented an FBI examiner from finding details about Roof’s arrest. Since he had previously admitted to felony drug possession, Roof should not have been allowed to buy the gun. Roof faces murder and [hate crimes](http://time.com/3967942/dylann-roof-federal-hate-crimes/?iid=sr-link5 "undefined") charges, and he is currently in jail pending trials in both state and federal court. The Justice Department has said it will seek the [death penalty](http://time.com/4347055/dylann-roof-death-penalty-charleston-church-shooting/?iid=sr-link8 "undefined") \[[_Associated Press_](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/6ca2d2cf4eff422a85b9d5b2856dce2e/charleston-church-shooting-victims-sue-fbi-over-gun-buy "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4391663/families-of-charleston-shooting-victims-are-suing-the-fbi/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4391663/families-of-charleston-shooting-victims-are-suing-the-fbi/"},"headline":"Families of Charleston Shooting Victims Are Suing the FBI","datePublished":"2016-07-01T16:36:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T23:01:01.717Z","description":"Because Dylann Roof was able to buy a gun","url":"https://time.com/4391663/families-of-charleston-shooting-victims-are-suing-the-fbi/","keywords":["Crime","Race","Courts","Law","Guns","justice","crimes"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rosalie Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rosalie-chan/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4391663/families-of-charleston-shooting-victims-are-suing-the-fbi/","name":"Families of Charleston Shooting Victims Are Suing the FBI"}}]}] ```