Beginning at daybreak this morning, thousands of mourners queued up outside TD Arena in downtown Charleston, hoping to attend the funeral service for the slain minister of Mother Emanuel AME Church, Rev. Clementa Pinckney.
City officials had said that they hoped to have guests seated early today for the ceremony, which began at 11 a.m. and was scheduled to last three hours. Many people in line were turned away after the arena reached its 5,400 seat capacity.
You can watch the services live on ETV and local TV news. More information on alternate viewing sites, street closures, and more here.
Many took to social media to document the overwhelming response:
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