Watch live at 11:30 a.m.: Frank Tyson funeral with Rev. Al Sharpton eulogy in Canton

Nancy Molnar, Canton Repository

CANTON ‒ The funeral for Frank E. Tyson, a 53-year-old Black man who died in the custody of Canton police officers, is scheduled to be held this morning at the Hear The Word Ministries church.

Tyson family attorney Bobby DiCello, civil rights attorney Ben Crump and civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton are expected to call for justice during the celebration of life service.

The funeral is expected to begin at 11:30 a.m. It will be livestreamed here courtesy of Canton Repository news partner Channel 5.

The funeral service for Frank E. Tyson, who died April 18 while in custody of Canton police, is being held at the Hear The Word Ministries church in Canton.
The funeral service for Frank E. Tyson, who died April 18 while in custody of Canton police, is being held at the Hear The Word Ministries church in Canton.

Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network, plans to eulogize Tyson, a Canton Township resident, who died on April 18 after being handcuffed with his arms behind his back and left facedown on the floor. He told police “I can’t breathe.”

One of the officers responded, “Shut the (expletive) up."

“Frank Tyson’s cries of ‘I can’t breathe’ are ones we have heard far too often when Black men and women die in police custody,” Sharpton said in a prepared statement. “Once again, we have seen footage of those pleas for help not only ignored but dismissed by officers using excessive force – who then left him to lie unconscious for several minutes.”

Also expected at the service are Tyson family members, other families affected by police use-of-force and Floyd's uncle Selwyn Jones.

Authorities have not yet announced a cause of death for Tyson. The two city police officers involved in the arrest have been placed on administrative leave while the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation investigates.

The national and Stark County NAACP organizations have called on the U.S. Department of Justice to come to Canton to investigate the Police Department.

This story will be updated.

Angela Rembert, a cousin of Frank E. Tyson remembers him while joined by civil rights attorney Ben Crump and attorney Bobby DiCello at a press conference at St. Paul AME Church in Canton. Tyson died April 18 in police custody.
Angela Rembert, a cousin of Frank E. Tyson remembers him while joined by civil rights attorney Ben Crump and attorney Bobby DiCello at a press conference at St. Paul AME Church in Canton. Tyson died April 18 in police custody.

Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or nancy.molnar@cantonrep.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter: @nmolnarTR.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Frank Tyson's celebration of life with Rev. Al Sharpton in Canton

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