Two people were shot after an unidentified gun man opened fire during a funeral service being held at Graceland Cemetery in Racine, Wisconsin, on Thursday afternoon. The shooting happened during the funeral service of Da'Shontay King, a black man who was shot and killed by a Racine police officer two weeks ago.
According to the funeral announcement made by the King's family, the viewing started at 10 a.m. and the service was to begin at noon.
Shooting Began When the Body Was Being Lowered Into the Ground
Soon after reports of shooting emerged on social media, an unconfirmed video claiming to be from the cemetery shooting surfaced. Nearly one and half minute long, the video recorded by one of the attendee shows chaos as gunshots are heard. People are heard screaming and asking for help as shooter continues to fire at the gathering. "Are you hurt? Jesus Christ," a person is heard in the video.
The shooting began at 2.26 pm. Speaking to WISN 12, Tre Brantley said that around 20-30 shots were fired by the gunman. "Accurately, 20 to 30. I would say. It was a lot. The one initial one and then gunfire. It was terrifying. Within 30 seconds we were all running off the court. we didn't stop to grab any of our stuff. we didn't stop to talk about it," he said.
A man who identified himself as grandfather of one of King's four sons, told Daily Beast that the shooting started when King's body was being lowered in the ground. "It was real quiet, the pastor was lowering the body into the ground, and all of a sudden they just started shooting," he told the outlet. "The only thing I can say is, I just saw people diving. I didn't see this coming, and I was standing there. I don't think most people saw this coming. Some people thought it was firecrackers."
King Was Killed During a Foot Chase
In a statement, Racine Police said "multiple shots" were fired at the cemetery at 2:26 p.m. "There are victims but unknown how many at this time. The scene is still active and being investigated," the statement said.
The New York Post reported that on 37-year-old King was killed following a foot chase by Racine police officers. According to Racine Chief of Police Maurice Robinson, police attempted to stop a vehicle around 1 p.m. to execute a search warrant for a felon in possession of a gun.
The police said that after stepping out vehicle, King who was holding a gun, refused to comply with orders to drop it. The officer then opened fire, and King was pronounced dead at the scene. The cop who shot King was identified as Zachary B. Brenner.
