Funeral for father shot by armed officer will be held in Birmingham

Father-of-two Marcus Meade  was struck in the chest by a single bullet fired by a West Mercia Police firearms officer on Christmas Eve at his Redditch home, following reports of a concern for welfare. 

 The funeral service for 39-year-old originally from Ladywood in Birmingham will be held on Thursday (February 27) at The Assemblies of the First Born Church , 23 Lozells Road, Lozells, at 10.30am.

Mr Meade's mother Deborah Clarke, who is recovering from stroke, said: "This is wrong we should not be burying my son on Thursday. All he needed was help.”

His father Anthony added: “This is all messed up. No way should we behaving to organise a funeral, however, we will lay Marcus to rest with the dignity he deserves.”

Mourners were being asked to wear light blue accessories.

The service will be led by Bishop Dr Desmond Jaddoo, who runs a Walsall church, and is the chairman of the Justice4Marcus Meade Campaign. 

”No funeral is ever easy, however, owing to the circumstances surrounding Marcus’s death and the fact that his family has several unanswered questions, makes this an even more difficult service. We will ensure that we do what is right in his memory," the bishop said.

Since the incident The Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched an investigation which would consider if his race was a factor in the shooting after his family raised several complaints about police actions including a decision by  West Mercia Police not to suspend the officers involved. 

Mr Meade was reportedly alone inside the property, in Fownhope Close, and suffering a mental health episode when he was shot dead.

After referring themselves to the watchdog, West Mercia Police said it would not be able to comment further at this stage.

An inquest into Mr Meade's death has been opened and adjourned.