Hundreds of people gathered Friday at the City of Refuge Church in Gardena to mourn the death of Aaron Shannon Jr., the 5-year-old boy fatally shot by suspected gang members on Halloween.
Those close to Aaron remembered him as a friendly boy who had made numerous friends -- with students, faculty and the crossing guard -- at Caldwell Elementary School in Compton, where he was enrolled in kindergarten.
"The world gained a son," Aaron's grandfather, William Shannon, said at Friday's funeral service. "He belongs to everyone now."
Times staff writer Scott Gold has more on L.A. Now: Community mourns 5-year-old fatally shot on Halloween
Read the complete print story: A congregation buries a child and prays for change
Photo: Beverly Cooper, in yellow, the mother of Aaron Shannon Jr., 5, is comforted during the funeral service at City of Refuge Church in Gardena.
Credit: BarbaraDavidson / Los Angeles Times