As the family of Alton Sterling paid respects to the 37-year-old who was killed by two Baton Rouge policemen 10 days ago, hundreds of mourners flocked to Southern University to remember the father of five during an open casket visitation.

Family members were overcome by grief at the sight of their dead loved one, while others used the event to continue protests that have been ongoing since his death.

One protester wore a sign over their torso that read, "Black America, I'm sorry!" Another read, "No Justice No Peace."

For the family, though, it was simply an opportunity to mourn their loved one's death and say goodbye to him one last time before his body is put to rest. His aunt, Sandra, was so overwhelmed by grief that she had to be restrained by two men as she walked past her nephew's body.

While mainstream media begins to move on from Sterling's wrongful murder at the hands of police, these images are a reminder that his family lost a loved one whose absence will never again be filled. 

While his death helped spur and continue the conversation of racism and violence in police departments across the country, it is also important to remember the tragedy of an innocent life lost and the people he has left behind.