Family members of the victims killed in a lone wolf hate crime in Charleston, South Carolina, said they forgive the killer, CNN reports.

Dylann Roof sat with a blank stare in a striped inmate jumpsuit as family members, from a video stream, read notes of forgiveness to the 21-year-old murderer.

"I will never be able to hold her again, but I forgive you," a daughter of Ethel Lance said. "And have mercy on your soul. You hurt me. You hurt a lot of people but God forgives you, and I forgive you."

A mother of one of the victims who survived the church shooting also forgave Roof.

"As we said in the Bible study, we enjoyed you," said Felicia Sanders, mother of Tywanza Sanders. "But may God have mercy on you."

Meanwhile, Roof's family spoke out about the crime sending their "deepest sympathy and condolences."

"Words cannot express our shock, grief and disbelief as to what happened that night," the shooter's family said in a statement. "We are devastated and saddened by what occurred. We offer our prayers and sympathy for all of those impacted by these events."

Magistrate James B. Gosnell Jr. sympathized with Roof's family members.

"There are victims on this young man's side of the family," he said. "Nobody would have ever thrown them into the whirlwind of events that they were thrown into. ... We must find it in our hearts at some point in time to not only help those who are victims but to help his family as well."

Roof killed nine people at a black church on Wednesday and was arrested on Thursday, USA Today reported. He killed church members and the pastor.

"Unfortunately there are thousands of young men like (Roof) who are looking for an identity larger than themselves," said Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

"We've seen a drifting away from organized white supremacy and the prevalence of lone wolf attacks."

This recent attack is one of the deadliest attacks on black churches in U.S. history.

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