Charleston shooting suspect’s friend pleads not guilty

COLUMBIA, SC (AP) — The friend of a white man accused of killing nine black churchgoers in Charleston has pleaded not guilty to charges of lying to authorities and concealing information about the crime.

Joey Meek pleaded not guilty before a federal magistrate in Columbia today. Meek is accused of knowing what Dylann Roof was planning June 17 in Charleston and failing to tell anyone about it. He also is accused of lying about the situation when he was questioned.

Meek has said Dylann Roof, the alleged church shooter, stayed with him before the June 17 shootings at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal. Meek told The Associated Press that Roof had drunkenly complained that “blacks were taking over the world” and “someone needed to do something about it for the white race.”

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)