More Than 300 Mourners Attend Funeral Of Jovan Belcher In Dix Hills
DIX HILLS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) — Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, who shot and killed his girlfriend before taking his own life earlier this month, was laid out Tuesday in an open silver casket surrounded by flowers and displays of family snapshots at a church where hundreds of mourners gathered at a wake to remember him.
The wake was followed by the funeral on Wednesday.
More than 300 mourners were in attendance at the Upper Room Christian World Center in Dix Hills, east of New York City and a few miles north of the West Babylon home where the 25-year-old Belcher was raised.
The center, which features an auditorium capable of seating at least 1,000 people, describes itself on a website as "a Bible based non-denominational, multi-racial, family church."
A man outside the church, who stopped photographers from entering the wake, said that the Belcher family had no comment. Mourners leaving the wake also declined to speak with reporters.
Police said that Belcher fatally shot 22-year-old Kasandra Perkins on December 1 at the Kansas City home they shared with their 3-month-old daughter, Zoe. They said he then drove to the Chiefs' practice facility at Arrowhead Stadium, where coach Romeo Crennel, general manager Scott Pioli and defensive assistant Gary Gibbs witnessed his suicide.
Friends have said the relationship between Belcher and Perkins was strained. The couple briefly lived apart recently before getting back together by Thanksgiving, friend Brianne York said.
Perkins, who was from Texas, was remembered at two funeral services last week.
Belcher starred at West Babylon High School before playing college football at the University of Maine. He joined the Chiefs in 2009 as an undrafted free agent but became a starter during the 2012 season.
In the days following the shooting, Belcher's family erected a small shrine outside the West Babylon home, hanging jerseys and team banners and displaying trophies and other awards.
Belcher's mother, Cheryl Shepherd, has temporary custody of the couple's daughter, Kansas City police said.
Offer your thoughts and comments in the section below...
(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
