Mourners remember slain Holocaust Museum guard

Mourners who attended the funeral of a security guard gunned down last week at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum have been challenged to fight prejudice...

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Above: Stephen Johns, Jr., 11, son of slain security guard.
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

FORT WASHINGTON, Md. (AP) — Mourners who attended the funeral of a security guard gunned down last week at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum have been challenged to fight prejudice.

Stephen Johns’ funeral was held at a large church in Fort Washington, Md., not far from Washington, D.C. Mourners included his colleagues and U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

The Rev. John McCoy called Johns “a man with a big heart.” McCoy called on mourners to honor Johns by refusing to remain silent in the face of racism. Johns, who was black, was allegedly killed by white supremacist James von Brunn. The 88-year-old Holocaust denier faces murder charges.

Von Brunn remains hospitalized after being shot by guards who returned fire. The FBI has said he is likely to survive. A court hearing is set for Tuesday for an update on von Brunn’s condition.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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