Civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton led a memorial service in New Haven for a teen fatally shot by state police.

Mourners came together Sunday to pay their respects for Mubarak Soulemane, whom police say they were justified in fatally shooting.

Officials say the 19-year-old led authorities on a chase starting in Norwalk with a stolen car. Authorities say Soulemane was armed with a knife and had assaulted the rideshare driver he stole the car from, then struck multiple vehicles, including police cruisers, during the chase. They say it ended when police shot him to death in West Haven a short time later.

Much of the incident was captured on video, including the fatal shooting.

The family says Soulemane's mental illness led set the tragic series of events in motion.

Many say the memorial service is stoking the emotional debate about how the shooting took place and whether it was justified.

Rev. Sharpton held the service at First Calvary Baptist Church on Dixwell Avenue in New Haven.

Sharpton vowed to fight for answers, and said that the teen's family has the right to question what happened.

”You don’t have a right to take away his life, and if you do, we have an obligation to stand up and question what happened,” Sharpton said.

The mother of Eric Garner, who died after an encounter with New York City police, also attended the service.

Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.