June 28, 2015 - The HPD Bicycle Relay Team, comprised of 40 Houston police officers and three civilian riders, made a special stop at a Charleston, South Carolina, church today (June 28) to pay respects to a community mourning the loss of nine churchgoers killed in a tragic shooting on June 17.

A video of HPD bike relay team members riding in silence as they stop in front of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church is posted on the HPD YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qi8dYVON7k

Team members prayed outside and presented a poster - featuring the City of Houston and signed by officers and citizens along the route thus far - to be placed at a memorial outside the church.

Photos of today's emotional stop are available to the media and can be viewed on the HPD Flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/houstonpolice/

The HPD Bike Relay Team is on an eight-day, 2,200 mile non-stop journey to New York City to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In the past 33 years, HPD officers have ridden more than 73,000 miles and raised more than $5.6 million. Additionally, almost $300,000 is anticipated from this year's ride. The money is used to help find a cure and improve the quality of life for those battling blood-related cancers.

For continuing updates on the ride, follow HPD on Twitter (https://twitter.com/houstonpolice) #HPDBikeRelay or on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Houstonpolice).