Funeral To Be Held For Antwon Rose, Teenager Shot By Police
(CNN) -- The funeral for Antwon Rose II, the unarmed teen who was shot by police last week, sparking several days of protest in Pittsburgh, will be held Monday.
Rose, 17, was shot by an officer three times on Tuesday as he attempted to flee a car stopped by police.
Since his death, protesters have marched on the streets of downtown Pittsburgh demanding accountability. Several groups had shut down highways and intersections across the city during several days of protest.
"Three shots in the back, how you justify that?" protesters chanted.
"I am in amazement that this all has something to do with my son, but I'm destroyed by the reason why. I appreciate all the protesters, but I just want them to protest peacefully." Rose's mother Michelle Kenney said in an exclusive interview with ABC.
On Sunday, mourners gathered for Rose's wake. His funeral is scheduled for Monday morning.
"Today has been a particularly difficult day because the finality begins to set in, when you see your son laid out, embalmed and lifeless," Lee Merritt, the attorney for Rose's family, told CNN on Sunday. "Tomorrow will be a more difficult day."
His parents are in shock over the death of their son, but also frustrated by the reporting on his character in the media and that the officer who shot Rose hasn't been charged, Merritt said.
"They're ready to fight," Merritt said of his parents. "In the coming weeks, you're going to hear a lot more from them. They're like the protesters, they're not going anywhere. They have a lot to say."
Teen's mom: 'He murdered my son'
East Pittsburgh Police Officer Michael Rosfeld fired on Rose, hitting him in three spots, police said.
Rose had been a passenger in the car, which authorities suspected of being involved in a shooting earlier on Tuesday, Allegheny County police said.
The officer ordered the driver out of the car and onto the ground, police said. Rose and another passenger "bolted" from the vehicle, and the East Pittsburgh officer opened fire, striking the teenager, police said.
Rosfeld had been sworn in to the East Pittsburgh police force just hours before the shooting, though he'd worked with other local departments for seven years, CNN affiliate WPXI reported.
"He murdered my son in cold blood. If he has a son, I pray his heart never has to hurt the way mine has but I think he should pay for taking my son's life. I really do. I think he should pay for taking my son's life," Kenney told ABC.
Rosfeld has been placed on administrative leave, police said.
Among those who protested the police shooting was Lamont Wade, a Penn State University football player who has been vocal on social media.
Citing the deaths of Eric Garner and Philando Castile, Wade told CNN: "The worst thing that has happened to the people who are killing these innocent people, are paid leaves or getting fired... I feel like something needs to change."
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