Mourners line up before funeral of slain Mississippi officer

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) – Mourners are lining up to pay their respects to a Mississippi police officer who was gunned down outside a police station.

A funeral was scheduled Monday for Biloxi patrolman Robert McKeithen, who died May 5. Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and Biloxi Police Chief John Miller are among those scheduled to address mourners at the First Baptist Church of Biloxi. The Air Force veteran will be buried afterward at Biloxi National Cemetery.

About 200 people lined up for the visitation Monday morning. McKeithen’s body lies in an open casket, dressed in his uniform.

Investigators have charged 19-year-old Darian Atkinson with capital murder in McKeithen’s death. Atkinson’s brother and three others have been charged as accessories after the fact.

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