Amber Roof: Sister of Charleston shooting suspect Dylann Roof launches fund-raising appeal for wedding and honeymoon

Elder sister of man charged with nine counts of murder says her planned wedding day was wrecked by the murders

Amber Roof's Gofundme page

The elder sister of Dylann Roof, the man charged with nine counts of murder over the Charleston church shooting, has apparently been raising money for her wedding costs and asking people to give her a "fresh start".

Amber Roof and her fiancé were to have been married on 21 June, four days after nine people were shot dead in an historic Charleston church. As a result, the wedding was postponed and Ms Roof launched a request for funds for another ceremony. She said half of the money would to to the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

“As many of you know Michael and I had to abruptly cancel our wedding day, due to the tragedy that occurred in Charleston,” the entry on the GoFundMe page said. “It was suppose [sic] to start our lives together with our new family. Our day was the exact opposite.”

Dylann Storm Roof

It added: “Our wedding day was full of sorrow, pain, and shame, tainted by the actions of one man. The Charleston Massacre took place and our lives were forever changed. The media abused our privacy and published all of our wedding information and destroyed our dream day.”

Thirty-three people donated since the fund was started four days go, raising more than $1,600 of the $5,000 goal. It was set up by Amber Roof of Shelby, North Carolina.

One of the most recent donations was made under the name “American BlackLivesMatter. “Here’s $9 for the Nine Victims of the Charleston, SC, Church Massacre,” it says.

The page was shut down at lunchtime on Thursday, according to the Post and Courier. The newspaper said it had been unable to contact Ms Roof.

It added that among the comments that were posted while it was still up was one from a woman who the “most self-centred and insensitive fundraising page I’ve ever encountered”.

She added: “I can’t imagine the anguish and sorrow that your own brother has inflicted on so many wonderful and kind people and all the while, you are fantasising about letting others fund your honeymoon!!”