This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Ogden • As the nation grapples with the aftermath of the shooting of nine black people Wednesday inside the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., Utah church leaders and community members gathered on behalf of the victims and their families.

Among the victims was 87-year-old Susie Jackson, who "lived through the Jim Crow era, the civil rights struggle and all of the mess that racism has caused in this country," only to be a victim of racism and terrorism in her own church," the Rev. Gage Church of Congregational United Church of Christ of Ogden told those who attended a Friday vigil at the Embry Chapel AME Church in Ogden.

Authorities arrested the alleged killer, 21-year-old Dylann Storm Roof, after a 14-hour manhunt that ended Thursday.

Roof, who is white, has been charged with nine counts of murder in connection with the attack, which occurred at the oldest black AME church in the South. Police have said Roof spent about an hour with parishioners attending a Bible study Wednesday evening before he pulled out a concealed handgun and began shooting. A police document says he stood over a witness and made a racially inflammatory remark.

In addition to Jackson, Sen. Clementa Pinckney, 41; Cynthia Hurd, 54; Tywanza Sanders, 26; Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, 45; Myra Thompson, 59; Ethel Lance, 70; Daniel Simmons Sr., 74; and DePayne Doctor, 49, were killed.

On Friday in Ogden, a diverse crowd of about 40 people were present for the vigil, where individual portraits of the victims were surrounded by red, purple, green and black balloons.

Church leaders said the color red signified the blood that was shed, purple stood for the church, green represented the Earth, and black was for the skin color of the victims.

Ten speakers, all clergymen and women, offered prayers for each of the nine victims and their families.

The Rev. Brandee Jasmine Mimitzraiem, pastor of the Ogden AME Church, which recently celebrated its 107th anniversary, wore a green and black robe with a stole that bore the message "Black Lives Matter."

"This act of terrorism isn't home-grown, but home-taught," Mimitzraiem said from the pulpit. "This is the type of hate that has no place in our country."

Mimitzraiem, who has been the church's pastor only since January, said she has not stopped weeping since hearing the news of the tragedy.

The Rev. Shelly Page of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ogden, offered a prayer in the memory of Coleman-Singleton, who was a pastor at Emanuel AME Church, as well as a high school teacher.

"As she dedicated her life to help others speak, may we learn to speak boldly, bravely and clearly about the gaping wound of racism that poisons our nation and yet again takes lives," Page said.

"As she excelled as a track and field athlete, and coached young women to excel as runners, may we learn to run with determination, confidence and energy, that we may stay the course in addressing the systems of oppression and white privilege that spawn violence in the everyday lives of people of color in America," added Page, who is white.

The Rev. Monica Hall of Trinity Presbyterian Church went to seminary with the daughter of shooting victim Lance.

Hall said she reached out to the daughter, Sharon Risher, and told her, "You can trust God to bring comfort in the midst of despair."

Blake Wahlen, of Ogden, said he attended the service to show his solidarity.

"It's time for all faiths to come together," Wahlen said as he was leaving the vigil. "The service was a wonderful spirit of unity, love and healing."

A teary-eyed Jerry Groshart, of Ogden, said, "The hopeless repetition of murder and violence is overwhelming," as he sat in a pew, staring at the pictures of the nine victims.

Addie Norling, a member of the Ogden AME Church, said she could not understand the root of the violence from the shooter.

"What would cause such a young man to have such evil in his heart?" she asked.

At the conclusion of the vigil, children released the colored balloons into the air outside the church, in memory of the victims.

Then everyone who had gathered held hands and sang a hymn that was a constant theme during the civil rights movement: "We Shall Overcome."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Twitter@ShaheedMo —

Mormon apostle reaches out

Mormon apostle D. Todd Christofferson expressed sympathy Friday for families of the victims in South Carolina as he announced in Los Angeles a project to make available records of about 4 million slaves freed after the Civil War.

"In the wake of the tragic shooting in Charleston, S.C., Wednesday night, our prayers are with the families of the victims and with the members of the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston," he said. "We pray that all who mourn may find the peace that comes only from God. There, unfortunately, regrettably, we saw hate. Here, today, we'll talk about love."