#Rayshard Brooks’ funeral to be held in Atlanta today

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Tomika Miller helps funeral workers close the cover of the casket of her husband, Rayshard Brooks, at the conclusion of his public viewing at Ebenezer Baptist Church
AP

Rayshard Brooks, the black man who was killed by a police officer outside an Atlanta Wendy’s, will be laid to rest Tuesday during a private funeral service with his family and friends, reports said.

The 1 p.m. ET service will be held at the famed Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached as a co-pastor starting in 1960 until his assassination in 1968, CNN reported.

A four-hour public viewing for the 27-year-old father of four was held at the site Monday where hundreds gathered to pay their respects.

King’s daughter, the Rev. Bernice A. King, will speak at the funeral and the Rev. Raphael G. Warnock, a senior pastor at the church and a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, will deliver the eulogy, the outlet reported. 

Ebenezer is a parish for all people, a sanctuary for those who suffer,” Warnock said in a prepared statement, according to CNN.

“Rayshard was not a member of our church but he, and his loved ones, are a part of our family. We seek to embrace them, comfort them and walk beside them in the days ahead.”

Tyler Perry, the mogul behind the famous Madea character, has offered to pay for the service while Gospel singers Smokie Norful, Tamela Mann and Kurt Carr will perform, the outlet reported.

Brooks died on June 12 after he was shot by Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe, who responded to an area Wendy’s after receiving a report that a man was sleeping in his car in the drive-through lane.

The interaction started out peacefully but when Brooks failed a field sobriety test, and was told he couldn’t get back into his car, he scuffled with the officers and took off running with Rolfe’s partner’s taser, causing Rolfe to shoot him twice in the back.

Rolfehas been fired from the force and charged with murder.