Ben Carson calls San Bernardino shooting a 'hate crime' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3344417/Ben-Carson-calls-San-Bernardino-shooting-hate-crime

Presidential hopeful Ben Carson suggested that yesterday's shooting in San Bernardino was a 'hate crime' during a news conference in South Carolina.

'Look at what happened again. Another hate crime in San Bernardino today,' Carson said yesterday, according to ABC News. 'That these 14 people killed. Less than a week ago, we had the shooting in Colorado and then look at all the things going on around the world – ISIS and groups like this.' 

'Just hate and evil. We need to be able to combat these things or else we will melt into despair and that’s not who we are,' the candidate continued. 

When asked to clarify what he meant by 'hate crime,' it became apparent that Carson may have a non-traditional definition for the term.

Hate crimes typically mean that the perpetrators – the multiple shooters in this case – were motivated by prejudice. 

It's often used when a crime is sexist or racist in nature, or homophobic. 

Carson had a much simpler definition. 

'Well it’s hard to imagine that you would shoot a bunch of people and not hate them, right?' Carson mused. 'You don’t do that to people you love.' 

So far, a motive hasn't been uncovered in the shooting that killed 14 and wounded another 17, which is the worst carnage the nation has seen since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. 

Ben Carson, campaigning yesterday in South Carolina, also sent out a tweet offering support to the victims of the San Bernardino shooting and their families 

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