A funeral for a Florida teenager who was shot earlier this month turned chaotic over the weekend when attendees reportedly tried to stage a street takeover, prompting police to deploy mace balls against them.
Family and friends mourning the loss of 19-year-old Nigel Beckford in Boynton Beach asserted that law enforcement acted unjustly after they had just buried him and were leaving the cemetery on Saturday.
As the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office gang unit intervened to restore order, five men were taken into custody, and deputies discovered four stolen firearms, according to reports from WPBF.
Shanna Burks, Beckford’s aunt, could be heard on video expressing her outrage, saying, “We’re just coming from the graveyard!” She shouted, “Ya’ll dead a– wrong! Have sympathy!” her emotion palpable as she filmed the scene.
The video captured mourners, dressed in white and purple, being handcuffed and seated on the sidewalk. During the standoff, a deputy ordered the crowd to “Leave the area!” before seemingly firing mace balls into the group surrounding the arrests.
Following the incident, Burks took to Facebook, highlighting her injuries, claiming officers were “snatching kids out of the car, hitting them.” She described the police response as “uncalled for,” lamenting that they couldn’t even grieve peacefully.
The five arrested individuals, later released on bail, were identified as Malik Lanard McGraw, Dylan Jayantione Stragh, Dwight Jamallantion Stragh, Jaedin Akwuame Stoveall, and Cardell Valcourt. McGraw, Stoveall, and Valcourt faced charges related to reckless driving and street racing, while the Stragh brothers were charged with resisting an officer, battery, and inciting a riot.
Beckford was tragically killed on August 8, with a 17-year-old suspect from Boynton Beach subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder involving a firearm and discharging a weapon from a vehicle.
The reasons behind the shooting and the connection between Beckford and the teenager remain unclear.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to requests for further information.
