NEW YORK (AP) — The Rev. Al Sharpton plans to deliver the eulogy at the Brooklyn funeral for an unarmed man who was shot and killed by a police officer in a darkened public housing stairwell.
The funeral today for Akai Gurley comes at the end of a tumultuous week for the city following a grand jury’s decision not to indict a white police officer in the chokehold death of an unarmed black man.
Gurley was killed last month. Police say he and his girlfriend had opened a door into a stairway, and a rookie officer patrolling the pitchdark area with his gun drawn fired.
The medical examiner has ruled the death a homicide and Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson has called the shooting “deeply troubling,” saying the shooting warrants a fair investigation.
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