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'Unite for Philando' signs mark funeral

Published:Thursday | July 14, 2016 | 12:00 AM
AP
Mourners watch as the casket of Philando Castile leaves on a horse-drawn carriage after his funeral service Thursday, July 14, 2016 at the Cathedral of Saint Paul in St. Paul, Minn. Castile was killed by a St. Anthony police officer during a traffic stop last week.

ST PAUL, Minnesota (AP):

Faith leaders and musicians delivered messages of hope at a funeral for a black Minnesota man who was fatally shot by a suburban St Paul police officer.

Mourners filled the 3,000-seat Cathedral of St Paul to pay their respects to 32-year-old Philando Castile. After the service ended, people lined up along the cathedral's long stairs holding 'Unite for Philando' signs as Castile's casket passed.

The Reverend Steve Daniels Jr of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church asked during the funeral why racial profiling still happens. He says he's thankful for police and their service, but that people need to find a way to come together.

More than 1,500 mourners have filled the Cathedral of St Paul to remember Castile, whose white casket arrived on a horse-drawn carriage.

Church officials say texts for the ecumenical service will focus on preserving peace, justice and reconciliation.

Castile was shot several times by a suburban St Paul officer during a July 6 traffic stop. Castile's girlfriend streamed the shooting's aftermath live on Facebook.

Governor Mark Dayton, who has suggested that race played a role in Castile's death, attended.