A funeral procession for a Florida teen ended in chaos and arrests on Saturday when deputies stopped a group of mourners, alleging they were attempting to take over an intersection. The incident occurred in Boynton Beach, Florida, following a funeral service for Nigel Beckford, 19, who died on August 8 after being shot multiple times.
Deputies from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office gang unit reported observing reckless driving and an attempt to commandeer an intersection as the procession returned from the cemetery. During the subsequent traffic stop, authorities discovered four stolen firearms. Five men were arrested in connection with the incident.
Video footage captured by a mourner, identified as Beckford's aunt Shanna Burks, shows deputies handcuffing individuals. Burks can be heard pleading with officers, stating, "We just came from the graveyard! Ya'll dead a** wrong!" Another clip appears to show officers drawing their weapons, with one shouting commands to leave the area. Burks stated she was left with bruises after an officer allegedly punched her and placed a knee on her neck, and that officers used rubber bullets on the group when they did not immediately disperse.
The five arrested men have been identified as Dylan Jayantione Stragh, Dwight Jamallantion Stragh, Cardell Valcourt, Jaedin Akwuame Stoveall, and Malik Lanard McGraw. They were booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on charges including reckless driving, resisting an officer with violence, battery, and inciting or encouraging a riot. All were released on bond the following day.
Beckford himself had been the victim of a shooting on August 8. Boynton Beach Police found him with multiple gunshot wounds, and he later died after surgery. A 17-year-old male from Boynton Beach has since been arrested and charged with first-degree murder with a firearm and discharging a firearm from a vehicle in connection with Beckford's death. The motive behind the shooting and the relationship between the suspect and victim remain unclear.