Hundreds of mourners gathered in San Leandro on Saturday to attend the funeral of Aaron Pryor, a star running back at Oakland’s Skyline High School, who was shot to death on Sept. 27 in an East Oakland driveway 100 yards from his home.
Teammates, classmates and friends were among those packed into the Basic Ministry church, where Aaron’s former youth football coach is the pastor. The crowd spilled into the lobby and the parking lot, where some unable to get inside gathered in groups, played music and reminisced about Aaron, who turned 16 in September.
Police have not announced any arrests, suspects or motives in the case.
Many of the attendees wore T-shirts and jackets displaying Aaron’s smiling face and messages like “Long live Aaron,” “Forever ‘A’ Day” and “I love you, Aaron.” Some sobbed and were comforted by friends.
Inside, Pastor Mustafa Muhyee, who coached Aaron on the Oakland Junior Raiders youth football squad and mentored him for years, started a two and a half hour outpouring of praise for the teenager by calling him a champion. He recounted a game against a Southern California team that was tied 6-6 with time running out. Aaron told his coach to give him the ball, he did, and the running back scored a touchdown.
“We called him A-1 because he was No.1 but we don’t allow the number 1 on our team because the team is No. 1,” Muhyee said. “So he got the number 2.”
A string of other coaches also shared similar stories of Aaron’s athletic prowess — his willingness to rise to the occasion and never give up — as videos of his football exploits showed on video screens behind and beside stage.
Family and friends mentioned Aaron’s smile, his caring spirit and his struggles to keep his life on track. Muhyee said he’d mentored Aaron since the age of 8. Muhyee’s mother, “Mama Joe,” said her son worked with Aaron and a number of other boys up until a couple of years ago when he needed to spend more time focusing on his church. She also said her son felt guilty, as if he had let Aaron down.
“Aaron had heart,” Muhyee told the crowd. “He was compassionate. I’m not talking about being bold. I’m talking about not being selfish, not being stingy.”
Jackie Winters, Aaron’s aunt, standing outside the crowded church, decried gun violence in Oakland and said it’s been a persistent problem. She said that her sister, Aaron’s mother, lost her brother in a shooting 33 years ago.
“Now she’s lost her son,” she said. “This is ridiculous. These youngsters are killing each other for nothing. He was only 16 for 25 days.”
After Muhyee concluded his eulogy, the crowd filed out into the parking lot slowly as if to delay their final goodbyes. It took another half hour before the pallbearers could reach the hearse, which left the parking lot behind a motorcycle escort and a long parade of cars, bound for Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland.
As the crowd dispersed, Gina Ramirez, whose son also played for the Junior Raiders, noted the high turnout.
“Aaron had a lot of love,” she said. “For a 16-year-old boy to have this many people come out for him is amazing.”
Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan
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Hundreds gather for funeral of Aaron Pryor, 16-year-old Oakland football star - San Francisco Chronicle
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