The funeral for Atatiana Jefferson was taking place Thursday in Dallas, not far from her home in Fort Worth where a police officer shot the 28-year-old in front of her young nephew earlier this month. The homegoing service was held at the Concord Church after Jefferson’s family members resolved a dispute over the funeral’s date and location.
READ MORE: Atatiana Jefferson’s Nephew Is A Victim, Too
Community dignitaries along with local residents attended the funeral, which ended with a procession of white cars being driven to bury Jefferson in her final resting place. Among those in attendance were Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, Fort Worth city councilmembers and interim Fort Worth Police Chief Ed Kraus, the latter of whom reportedly arrived with a large contingency of officers from the department wearing light blue ribbons to honor Jefferson with her favorite color.
Jefferson’s mother, who reportedly was not in attendance because she has been hospitalized, shared a letter that mentioned her daughter’s “humble boldness” and was read aloud during the funeral.
“You said you were going to change the world. I still have faith you will…I will love you always. Your mother, Yolonda Carr,” the letter said in part.
California Rep. Maxine Waters also reportedly sent to be shared that stated how the Congresswoman was “heartbroken and infuriated” over Jefferson’s killing.
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S. Lee Merritt, who is the lawyer for some member of Jefferson’s family, looked to the future in order to find a solution that can prevent anybody from becoming the next victim of preventable police violence. He tweeted about the National Day Of Outrage that was scheduled for Monday and invited participants to “Demand justice for Atatiana Jefferson & the countless Black women killed at the hands of police violence.”
Jefferson was killed when police responded to a concerned neighbor’s wellness check for her by shooting her from outside her home into her bedroom window in the early morning of Oct. 12. Aaron Dean was identified as the officer who fired the fatal shot. Jefferson was reportedly shot within four seconds of the officer arriving. Still, Dean was afforded the privilege of avoiding any immediate questioning in the case and resigned nearly three days later before he could be fired. He was arrested and charged with her murder on Oct. 14.
It was in the context of that horrible scenario that Atatiana Jefferson’s funeral was being held nearly two weeks after she was killed.
Rest in power, Queen.
Scroll down to view more scenes from Atatiana Jefferson’s funeral.
