Victim's friend says 'justice was served' with church shooting guilty verdict

ATLANTA — On the day Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof was found guilty, an Atlanta man, who lost of one his good friends in the shootings, spoke exclusively with Channel 2 Action News.

"I'm glad justice was served. I'm really glad justice was served," said Rashaad Richardson of the verdict, after a jury found Roof guilty of killing nine people.

One of those people was Richardson's good friend Tywanza Sanders, whom he first met on a South Carolina high school basketball court.

"Basketball got me a brother in Tywanza and he'll always be my brother," Richardson told Channel 2's Justin Wilfon.

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Their relationship continued years later after Richardson moved to Atlanta, only to see it end in June of 2015 when Roof opened fire in Sanders' Bible study.

"I remember crying and just wishing it didn't happen," said Richardson. "It was real, it was real."

Sanders went to the Bible study that night to work on his faith.

"That was just Tywanza being himself, gaining knowledge, being closer to God," said Richardson.

He says he'll be pleased with whatever comes next in the sentencing phase.

Whether Roof receives life in prison or the death penalty, Richardson says he's happy Roof will never be on the streets again.

Cox Media Group