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The family of a Minneapolis man killed by police last month held his funeral service in a church on the city's north side on Saturday.

Thurman Blevins, 31, was killed by Minneapolis police officers on June 23.

The fatal police shooting of Thurman Blevins

Police say they received a 911 call about a man firing a gun before the police shooting. Some witnesses have disputed police accounts of the incident.


Family and friends packed Faith Deliverance Holiness Church on Morgan Avenue on the city's north side for Saturday's funeral service. Family members eulogized Blevins, and music could be heard outside the church.

The family did not allow members of the news media inside the service. Speaking outside the church, Pastor Ora Goodman White said she and others in the faith community are hoping to help members of the greater community heal.

"You feel the responsibility to try to bring a peace, some calmness, to bring some awareness that it's going to get better, that everything is going to be all right," Goodman White said.

Blevins is survived by three daughters, his father, siblings, other relatives and friends. An obituary handed out at Saturday's funeral service described him as a devoted father who "was committed to lending a helping hand to others. His sense of humor with his warm smile and caring heart could brighten anyone's day."

Goodman White said she and others in the faith community feel compelled to try to spread a message of peace during a time when police and community relations are strained.

"It's not easy because they have their own indpendent thoughts about things and it's our position to try to get them to focus on the positive," Goodman White said Saturday. "I do know if we pray, everything will be all right. That's where we get our comfort and consolation."

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the shooting. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has said he will release police body camera video of the incident when the BCA concludes its witness interviews.

Crime, Law and Justice

Nina Moini

Author

The family of a Minneapolis man killed by police last month held his funeral service in a church on the city's north side on Saturday.


Funeral service held for Thurman Blevins

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