Funeral held for immigrant gunned down last month in Oakland

EL SOBRANTE, Calif. (KTVU) - The Sri Lankan Community Came Together Sunday for a funeral for an immigrant who was gunned down last month.

The 32 year-old victim was shot and killed in Oakland. The son of a retired Union City police chief is charged with killing the man.

The Sri Lankan community, including Monks who flew in from all over California, attended the funeral of a young man they did not know personally.

32 year-old Janath Liyanage came to the US from Sri Lanka to better assist his family back home.

He was a legal resident of Southern California, but lost his life after relocating to the Bay Area.

"He was all by himself living in Los Angeles and came to Oakland to make better money," said Bhantel Seela, a Buddhist Monk.

On August 20, Liyanage ​​​​​​​was shot during a robbery while driving for Uber in Oakland's Uptown neighborhood.

He was not married and had no other family members in the US. His parents were denied visas to come and claim their son's remains.

"That was a disappointment for us, because he was the only son that they had. They'll never see his face again," said Swarna Gunaratne, Consul General for Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lanka embassy in Los Angles petitioned to get Liyanage ​​​​​​'s death certificate, and the Abbot of Berkely's Buddhist Vihara was appointed to receive his remains in order to put on a funeral at Smith and Witter in El Sobrante.

"We wanted to help out as much as we could to give the family some relief," said Donald Rollins, a funeral counselor with Smith and Witter.

Following the service, Liyanage ​​​​​​​will be cremated and escorted home to his parents.

"We are planning to take his ashes back to Sri Lanka and give it to them," said Buddhist Monk Bhantel Seela.

The suspect in the killing, 19-year-old Tyrone McAllister is charged with special circumstance murder. He's facing the death penalty or life without parole.