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Rayshard Brooks' funeral held in church formerly pastored by Rev. Martin Luther King

Rayshard Brooks' funeral to be held in church formerly pastored by Rev. Martin Luther King
Posted at 10:38 AM, Jun 23, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-23 15:34:55-04

The funeral for Rayshard Brooks — an Atlanta man who was killed during an altercation with police earlier this month — took place Tuesday in a church with connections to the Civil Rights movement.

Brooks' funeral was held at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta — the same church where Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. served as a co-pastor between 1960 and 1968.

Dr. Bernice King, one of Martin Luther King's daughters, spoke during Brooks' funeral.

Actor, writer and producer Tyler Perry provided the funds for Brooks' funeral. The funeral comes after an hours-long public viewing on Monday afternoon.

Brooks was shot and killed in a Wendy's parking lot by former Atlanta Police Officer Garrett Rolfe on June 12. Rolfe's partner, Officer Devin Brosnan, first encountered Brooks after Brooks had fallen asleep in his car while waiting in the restaurant's drive-thru line.

Rolfe arrived on the scene a few moments later. The officers subjected Brooks to a field sobriety test, which he failed. He later offered to lock his car and walk home, but Brosnan and Rolfe told Brooks they would be taking him into custody.

As the officers attempted to handcuff Brooks, a struggle ensued. Brooks was able to grab Brosnan's stun gun and attempted to flee the scene. As he fled, Brooks appeared to point the stun gun in the direction of the police. That's when Rolfe shot Brooks in the back. Brooks later died in surgery at a local hospital.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard says Rolfe kicked Brooks after shooting him but before calling for emergency medical help. He also alleged that Brosnan stood on Brooks' shoulder. Both face charges in connection with Brooks' death, with Rolfe facing murder charges.