Emotions boil over at Banko Brown funeral in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO -- Family, friends and community members gathered during an emotional service to say their final goodbyes to Banko Brown, the man shot and killed by a Walgreens security guard last month in San Francisco.
Tensions were high during the ceremony, eventually boiling over at one point as people began shouting at each other at Third Baptist Church in the city's Western Addition neighborhood where the 24-year-old Brown once went to Sunday school.
One person had to be held back during the shouting match that lasted several minutes. Eventually, things calmed down and the service resumed. It was not clear what triggered the outburst.
Brown, 24, was shot and killed April 27 by a security guard after a physical confrontation over alleged shoplifting. His killing triggered widespread protests and focused new attention on how the city is responding to well-publicized cases of retail theft and its treatment of marginalized communities.
Family and friends said Brown, a transgender Black man, had struggled with poverty and worked as a community organizer for the Young Women's Freedom Center, a nonprofit supporting young women and trans youth.
The decision by San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins earlier this month not to seek murder charges against the security guard generated additional community protests and demands for justice in the case.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has agreed to review the case and decide if the state will file any charges against the security guard.