Sacramento mayor helps pay for funeral of suspect killed by police

Jul 17, 2016

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson has donated $2,000 toward the funeral of a man who was killed by his police department.

Dazion Flenaugh was killed by police in April after fleeing from police, according to The Sacramento Bee.

According to police, Flenaugh matched the description of a man who had been going around peering into windows, and when an officer opened the back door of a patrol car, Flenaugh ran from them and broke into a house, grabbing two kitchen knives.

Police claimed that when Flenaugh charged at them with the knives they feared for their lives, which prompted them to shoot. However, Flenaugh’s friends and family have criticized the police not only for their decision to shoot but for not giving them a report.

Flenaugh’s mother Cristina Robbins said that she had not been able to afford a funeral for months, but Johnson stepped in “out of the blue” to help through his Sacramento Public Policy Foundation.

“It’s hard to imagine not being able to afford to bury your own child,” a mayoral spokesperson told the Bee.

“And as a community, it’s hard to imagine you couldn’t find the resources to bury one of your neighbors regardless of what they were involved in. It’s just a point of dignity and humanity.”