Police, beefed up by additional FBI agents flown in from Washington, appealed to the public Thursday for tips on the whereabouts of a lone white gunman who opened fire on a Bible study group in a historic black church in downtown Charleston, killing nine people, including a pastor.  Police and the FBI on Thursday identified the suspect in the killing of 9 people at an historic black church in downtown Charleston as Dylann Storm Roof, a 21-year-old from the Columbia, S.C. area.

“This is an all-hands-on-deck effort with the community as well as law enforcement,” Charleston Police Chief Gregory Mullen said. “When people go out they should be vigilant, they should be aware of their surroundings. And if they see anything suspicious, they should call law enforcement.”

“No one in this community will forget this night,” said Mullen, who called the killings at the Emanuel AME church a “hate crime.”

In Washington, the Justice Department said its Civil Rights Division, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina are opening a hate crime investigation into the shooting.

The nine victims — three men and six women — included pastor, Clementa Pinckney, 41, who was also a South Carolina state senator, State House Minority leader Todd Rutherford told The Associated Press.

Authorities said the gunman spent about an hour inside the church, mingling with the Wednesday night Bible study group before opening fire. Eight of the victims died at the church and the ninth died at a hospital. Three people survived, police said.