Fight breaks out in St. Paul after funeral of 16-year-old

Published 10:01 am Monday, August 17, 2015

ST. PAUL — St. Paul police are investigating a fight that broke out after the funeral of a 16-year-old shot by a man he allegedly was trying to rob at gunpoint.

Mourners gathered at Cherokee Park after Lavauntai Broadbent’s service Thursday but some started fighting and a 23-year-old was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Broadbent, of West St. Paul, died July 31 in St. Paul’s Shadow Falls Park. Police said that a man told them that another man wearing a mask and gloves pointed a handgun at him and demanded he empty his pockets. The man, who has a permit to carry a gun, shot the masked man, who was later identified as Broadbent.

Email newsletter signup

The man told police he feared for his life and that of a woman nearby. Police have said the man has cooperated, and they presented the case to prosecutors Friday.

Family friend Shawn Distad said the funeral itself was beautiful. She estimated 200 people attended. Broadbent’s family is “holding in there as best as can be,” Distad said.