Slain Hells Angels Leader Buried

Bikers from across the country have gathered in Connecticut for the funeral of a slain Hells Angels leader.

Roger Mariani was gunned down last weekend as he rode with other motorcycle riders on Interstate 95. A second biker was also shot.

Connecticut State police haven't solved the crime, but say they have no evidence a rival gang was responsible. But there's a strong police presence at today's funeral in Bridgeport just in case.

The 61-year-old biker was one of 37 Hells Angels and others from Connecticut arrested in the mid-1980s as part of a nationwide drug crackdown. After his release from prison, Mariani — known as "Bear" — worked as a Harley-Davidson mechanic and then as a loan officer.

Friends said Mariani was a friendly man with a big heart. This morning's service drew hundreds of mourners, many of whom couldn't get into the packed funeral home.

"He was a true Angel if there ever was one," Cliff Edwards, a Stratford man who was a friend of Mariani, told the New Haven Register. "He will be missed. It didn't have to happen this way."

Though police aren't commenting on a motive for the shooting, concerns about retaliation were heightened when, about six hours after Mariani died, Enfield police arrested two men believed to be Hells Angels near the Enfield home of a member of the Outlaws motorcycle gang. The two groups are bitter rivals.

The men face a variety of weapons charges because police say they had a loaded gun, golf clubs, a baseball bat, a ball-peen hammer and other potential weapons in the car. They also had pages from a state police training manual listing the names and addresses of Outlaws members.

Police presence has also been increased this weekend in Waterbury, where the Outlaws have a clubhouse.