Mourners remember King

ROUGH CUT NO REPORTER NARRATION

Hundreds of mourners remembered Rodney King, a symbol of racial tension in Los Angeles and catalyst for sweeping law-enforcement reforms after his 1991 beating by police officers, before his burial on Saturday.

King was found by his fiancée drowned on June 17 at the bottom of his backyard swimming pool in Rialto, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. He was 47.

Police have said they found no initial evidence of foul play or outward signs of suicide and were investigating King's death as an accident.

The beating of King, who was black, was caught on videotape and widely replayed. The subsequent acquittal of four white police officers who were charged with the beating sparked massive race riots in Los Angeles.

More than 50 people were killed in the riots which caused over $1 million dollars in property damages. During the riots, King famously appealed for calm in a televised appearance in which he asked rhetorically, "Can we all get along?"

The case helped bring attention to the issue of racial profiling by law enforcement and led to far-reaching reforms in the Los Angeles Police Department.

King, who long struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, financial difficulties and legal problems, had this year published a memoir titled "The Riot Within: My Journey from Rebellion to Redemption."