Alton Sterling Who Was Shot by Police Will be Remembered at a Public Funeral Today

The family of Alton Sterling is inviting the community to mourn with them on Friday, July 15 at a public funeral held at Southern University. On July 5, 2016, Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, was shot several times after being tackled to the ground by two white Baton Rouge Police Department officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Police were responding to a report that a man dressed in red and selling CDs used a gun to threaten someone outside a convenience store. The shooting was recorded by multiple bystanders. The videos show the confrontation and shooting at point-blank range.The shooting led to protests in Baton Rouge and a request for a civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. 

The funeral service will be held at the F. G. Clark Activity Center, which will provide seating capacity for about 4,500 people. BET's Sunday Best Winner and Soul singer Amber Bullock who will sing at the funeral.

Other special invited guests includes The Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Louisiana Congressman Cedric Richmond who are among the scheduled speakers to make remarks at the service, according to Gary Chambers, who has been appointed by the family to assist with funeral arrangements. Chambers said he will be "master of ceremonies" for the service.

The viewing for Sterling will be open casket and will go from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., with the funeral following at 11 a.m CST. The funeral will air live on CNN and other local affiliates. After the funeral the family will be escorted by law enforcement to an undisclosed location for a private burial. 

 

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