Charleston Church Shooting Suspect Dylann Roof Can Act as Own Attorney, Judge Rules

— -- A judge today granted Dylann Roof, the suspected Charleston, South Carolina, church shooter, the ability to represent himself in court, according to ABC affiliate WCIV in Charleston, as jury selection continues in his federal death penalty trial.

According to WCIV, Roof said this morning in court that he wants to move forward without his counsel.

Judge Richard Gergel told Roof that he did not advise the move, but Gergel granted the motion for Roof to represent himself, and Roof took over the lead defense counsel seat from attorney David Bruck, who will remain on standby.

Jury selection then continued in the trial.

A look back at the tragic Emanuel AME Church shooting

Photos from the tragic Emanuel AME Church shooting in 2015.

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The night of June 17, 2015, 21-year-old Dylann Roof entered the predominantly black Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., and opened fire on a Bible study group, killing nine parishioners.<br><br>Allen Sanders, right, kneels next to his wife Georgette as they pray at a sidewalk memorial for the shooting victims in front of Emanuel AME Church Saturday, June 20, 2015, in Charleston, S.C.

David Goldman/AP Photo

Roof, who is white, is accused of fatally shooting nine black parishioners during a Bible study at a predominantly black church in June 2015. Roof, who was 21 at the time, was arrested the next day at a traffic stop in Shelby, North Carolina, about 250 miles north of Charleston.

Roof is accused of murder and hate crimes. He has pleaded not guilty.

The state trial, in which Roof could also face the death penalty, is set for early next year.