A different fate awaited Israel Hernandez of Miami Beach, Florida a week and a half ago.
An 18-year-old artist who died after he was Tased by police for spraying graffiti on an abandoned building has been laid to rest in an emotional ceremony in Miami.
Jacqueline Llach, the mother of Israel Hernandez-Llach, was seen clasping other family members as she sobbed and followed close behind his casket, which was buried at Vista Memorial Gardens in Miami Lakes on Wednesday...
The teenager, an award-winning artist, was stunned in the chest after officers reportedly caught him spray-painting the front of a closed McDonald's and gave chase for ten minutes before catching him... Thiago Souza, who was with Hernandez-Llach... said ... 'they were all clapping and doing high-fives all over his body. It was almost like they were proud of what they did.'
Hernandez, who identified himself by the so-called tag name 'Reefa', was known for his graffiti work as well as for his sculptures and paintings. 'He did it a lot,' said Hernandez's friend, Rafael Lynch, referring to his graffiti. 'He wasn't a bad person at all. The cops didn't like him or what he looked like.'