A North Carolina woman who was later for work on Thursday, June 18, inadvertently helped capture Dylann Roof, the accused killer of nine people at a South Carolina church the night before.Debbie Dills works at a florist shop in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, and was at a stoplight while making her way to her job. She noticed the car next to her was a black Hyundai with South Carolina license plates.
Not immediately making the connection, Dills began to think of the security camera images of the suspect that had been shown frequently on television since the shooting took place more than 12 hours earlier, which showed the black Hyundai.
Dills then looked at the driver and noticed his distinctive bowl haircut. She first dismissed the chance that it would be Roof, but called her boss, Todd Frady, to ask what should be done. He suggested that she continue to follow Roof while he contacted police.
While following Roof, Dills made a call to police to give them the license plate number. Soon after, in Shelby, North Carolina, Roof was pulled over and quickly arrested.
The deeply religious Dills, who had been singing hymns while also praying for the victims at the time she spotted Roof, took no credit for her role in the capture. Instead, she gave all the credit to God, saying, “He showed up here in Shelby, North Carolina.” The statement’s irony is that the tragedy took place in a church where individuals pray to God.