A federal appeals court Thursday will take up a long-running constitutional dispute about a prayer vigil that was backed by the Ocala police chief amid a spate of shootings in the community.

OCALA, Fla. – Ocala city officials appointed a new police chief on Tuesday. [TRENDING: ‘I took LSD:’ Disney guest accused in attack | What does vaccine effectiveness mean? | News 6 anchors share drama stories]Chief Mike Balken accepted his position at a city council meeting. The video shows Balken shaking hands with people at the meeting. He will replace Chief Greg Graham.

OCALA, Fla. – A funeral was held Friday for Ocala Police Chief Greg Graham, who died Sunday in a plane crash. Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn said he expected a large turnout for the fallen police chief. “One of the best decisions that I’ve ever made was picking up the phone and called Greg to come back to Ocala to be our chief. ”He loved Ocala and Ocala loved him," Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said. [RELATED: ‘He’s done such a great job for our community:’ Ocala mayor reacts to death of police chief]Full honors were presented in front of the church following the service.

OCALA, Fla. – Late Ocala police Chief Greg Graham will be honored Friday with a celebration of life at First Baptist Church in Ocala and due to the number of people who would like to attend the event will be livestreamed online, according to Marion County Commission Chair Kathy Bryant. Graham died Sunday in a small plane crash near Dunnellon not far from the Marion County Airport. Graham’s family will be having a celebration of life at 10 a.m. Friday. The service may be viewed online here. Graham’s body was moved from the medical examiner’s office in Leesburg to an Ocala funeral home on Tuesday.

OCALA, Fla. – It was an emotional moment Tuesday outside the Ocala Police Headquarters as officers and bystanders saluted Chief Greg Graham during a procession. Graham’s body was moved from the medical examiner’s office in Leesburg to an Ocala funeral home. Larry Range lives in Ocala and said he knew the chief and wanted to say goodbye one last time. Other first responders, including Graham’s family members, attended Tuesday’s procession along with employees from the police department. A funeral is tentatively set for Graham on Friday.

OCALA, Fla. – Ocala Police Chief Greg Graham died Sunday morning in a plane crash, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office said the crash happened around 11:30 a.m. Sunday in the 9700 block of Southwest 140th Avenue near Dunnellon. The crash happened near the Marion County Airport. Marion County Sheriff’s Office officials said the plane was Graham’s personal aircraft and he was the only person onboard the single-engine plane. @news6wkmg pic.twitter.com/5gDuQVpMlv — Ezzy Castro (@EzzyCastro) October 26, 2020Right now, as federal investigators work to find out how the crash happened, Graham’s colleagues and friends are trying to recall the happy times.