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Community marks Charleston church shooting anniversary with message of forgiveness

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Monday marks four years since the deadly church shooting at Mother Emanuel AME in Charleston, South Carolina.

Sunday, parishioners filled the church for a service filled with singing and a message of forgiveness.

In 2015, Dylann Roof joined the parishioners for Bible study before opening fire on the group.

He killed nine members of the congregation, including Cynthia Hurd, the sister of former North Carolina State Sen. Malcolm Graham.

Channel 9's Brittney Johnson spoke to Graham, who said over the years he and his family have shifted their focus to honoring how his sister lived, not how she died.

Hurd, whose birthday would have been this Friday, served as a librarian for more than 30 years in Charleston. The local library branch is now named in her honor.

Family members launched the Cynthia Hurd Foundation to support children's literacy and civic engagement and there are several scholarships in her honor.

"We remember the laughter, the joy, the happiness and support that we have received from the Charleston community, as well as my extended family in Charlotte, that have wrapped their arms around us," said Graham.

The family has also worked to tackle guns, racism and discrimination.

Some survivors and family members of the nine victims are trying to bring back a lawsuit that claimed a faulty background check allowed Roof to buy a gun he used in the shooting.

A judge dismissed their case against the federal government last year. Now, survivors are asking an appeals court to reinstate the lawsuit.

"Faith without works is dead and so we have gotten up off our knees and dried our eyes and gotten to work as far as some of the issues that have come out of Charleston," Graham said.

Past Charleston church shooting coverage

Graham and his family are hosting a book drive this month and an amateur tennis tournament in August to raise money for the foundation.

Charlotte native and NBA star Steph Curry co-produced a film about the tragedy, called "Emanuel."

It includes firsthand accounts from survivors and their road to forgiveness.

It will debut in theaters nationwide Monday.

Roof was convicted and later sentenced to death.