Michael Brown funeral held in Ferguson

Hundreds of mourners gathered in Ferguson, Missouri to attend the funeral of Michael Brown, the black teenager who was shot by police.

Michael Brown, 18, who was unarmed, was killed on August 9 after being stopped by a white police officer for walking in the middle of the street.

His death sparked days of protests and violent clashes, but tensions appear to have eased in recent days.

Michael Brown’s father has called for calm ahead of his son’s funeral.

“Tomorrow all I want is peace,” Michael Brown Senior told hundreds of people at a rally in St Louis on Sunday.

On Monday, long lines of mourners entered the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Ferguson where the funeral service will be held at 10.00 local time.

The mood has been peaceful and sombre, but there is still anger in Ferguson, which has a majority black population, after the shooting by white police officer, Darren Wilson.

The National Guard, which was deployed to deal with violent clashes in Ferguson last week, started to withdraw from the area on Saturday as tensions showed signs of easing.

Michael Brown’s father made his plea for calm on Sunday to a crowd gathered at the Peace Fest 2014 festival, a rally against police violence in St Louis.

Rev. Al Sharpton also addressed the crowd, telling them the day of the funeral was not for “rage” but “about the legacy and memory of his [Michael Brown Sr.’s] son”.

“We don’t want anything tomorrow to happen that might defile the name of Michael Brown,” the reverend added.

Michael Brown’s mother, Lesley McSpadden took the microphone to thank the crowd.

She said she had seen her son’s body at the morgue for the first time on Sunday since the day of the shooting.

The family of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old who was shot and killed by a Florida neighborhood watch organizer who was later acquitted of murder charges, was present at the rally.

“We’re going to stand tall with you all,” Trayvon Martin’s father, Tracy Martin, said.

Three White House officials and Governor Jay Nixon are due to attend the funeral on Monday.

Ferguson was relatively calm on Sunday, with the main street open to traffic and fewer police officers around compared to previous days, Reuters reports.

The officer who killed Michael Brown, Darren Wilson, has been suspended with pay. Michael Brown’s family and supporters have called for him to be prosecuted.

A grand jury panel of residents has begun hearing evidence in the case, though officials have not said when it will reach a decision.

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