Tempers flared Thursday during an emotional memorial service for Banko Brown, the 24-year-old man who was fatally shot by a security guard at a San Francisco Walgreens last month.
Inside the sanctuary of Third Baptist Church of San Francisco just as the service was beginning, a shouting match erupted between some people who wanted Banko's birth mother to be addressed as mom and others who wanted Banko's stepmother to be called that. It nearly turned into a scuffle.
"Please, we are here for Banko Brown. Please calm down. Please be mindful. Please show some respect," someone could be heard saying.
After several minutes, Rev. Amos Brown and his congregation managed to calm the crowd. Rev. Brown continued the service with a monologue about the "Lord of the Flies" and discrimination against Black people.
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Emotions continued outside the church as Banko's casket was loaded into a waiting hearse to be driven to a burial site in Richmond.
The deadly shooting has sparked growing outrage after the release of security video and San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins' conclusion security guard Michael Anthony was acting in self defense.
Walgreens security camera video documents the nearly minutelong struggle between Banko and Anthony that led up to the shooting. It begins with Banko walking toward the store's exit, where he's confronted by Anthony about stolen items.
After a shove and a struggle, Anthony punches Banko several times, pulls him to the ground and puts him into a restraining hold for several seconds.
He repeatedly told investigators Banko had a knife, although none was found.
As friends and family mourn the passing of Banko, attorney John Burris is preparing to announce a lawsuit against Walgreens, the security company and the security guard.
"We have comments from the security company that they've been terminated by Walgreens," Burris said. "So, there's sort of remedial action that's taking place, which I think suggests perhaps they understood that they were on the wrong approach for having armed security guards."
Meanwhile, the California attorney general this week agreed to determine if Jenkins made the right decision when deciding to not file charges against the security guard involved in the deadly shooting.
Burris said if the AG ultimately decides to file criminal charges, that could be helpful to his lawsuit but not necessary.
