WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential contenders are condemning the deadly shootings in South Carolina as an attack on faith, as they court religious activists in Washington.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush calls the violence "an evil act of aggression."

Nine people died in the assault. The victims were black, the suspect is white, and officials consider the murders a racially motivated hate crime.

Ben Carson is the only black contender among the major Republican candidates. He says that if leaders do not pay close attention to "hatred and division" in the nation, the attack will be a harbinger of what to expect.

They are among nearly a dozen presidential contenders addressing the Faith and Freedom Coalition in Washington.