Latest news with #procession

Ozzy Osbourne's funeral procession to pass through Birmingham city centre

The Guardian

a day ago

Entertainment
The Guardian

Ozzy Osbourne's funeral procession to pass through Birmingham city centre

Ozzy Osbourne's funeral cortege is to pass through his home city of Birmingham on Wednesday. The hearse will travel along Broad Street to Black Sabbath Bridge and the Black Sabbath bench – the sites of thousands of messages, floral tributes and vigils following the metal star's death last week at the age of 76 – at 1pm BST. Lord Mayor Zafar Iqbal said: 'It was important to the city that we support a fitting, dignified tribute ahead of a private family funeral. We know how much this moment will mean to his fans.' The Osbourne family has paid for the event and all associated costs, and Osbourne's wife Sharon and children Kelly and Jack – possibly among his other children – will follow the procession before the private funeral later in the day, the details of which have not been made public. The local brass band Bostin Brass will soundtrack the procession, with members of Black Sabbath and the musician Yungblud thought to be taking roles. Fans at home will be able to watch the procession via an ongoing live stream of the Sabbath bench. Fans from across the world – including the Canadian R&B megastar Drake, who was passing through the city on tour – have travelled to Birmingham to pay their respects to Osbourne. Iqbal said that he had been moved by accompanying fans in a line to sign a book of condolences, and that Osbourne had put 'Birmingham on the map. He put Aston on the map.' In June, Osbourne and Black Sabbath were given the Freedom of the City ahead of their Back to the Beginning gig, a mammoth, all-star show paying tribute to Osbourne as he and Black Sabbath gave their final live performance. The event raised more than £1m for local charities fundraising for children's causes and treatment of Parkinson's, which Osbourne was diagnosed with in 2003. Evoking David Bowie's death just days after the release of his final album, Blackstar, in 2016, Osbourne died 17 days after the performance, at home in Buckinghamshire. Thousands of fans are expected to attend the event: Birmingham council has encouraged mourners to turn up early, and roads will close from 7am. A book of condolences will remain open at the Birmingham Museum and Art gallery, where the exhibition Ozzy Osbourne (1948-2025): Working Class Hero remains open. In 2011, Osbourne told the Times what he hoped for from his funeral. He didn't care about the music, he said. 'But I want to make sure it's a celebration, not a mope-fest.'

Slain parole agent honored in procession Oakland to Sacramento; new details emerge in shooting

CBS News

19-07-2025

CBS News

Slain parole agent honored in procession Oakland to Sacramento; new details emerge in shooting

A solemn procession was held Friday afternoon as law enforcement officials escorted the body of state parole agent Joshua Byrd from Oakland to Sacramento. Meanwhile, new information on his fatal shooting and the suspect has come to light. Byrd was shot and killed at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation parole offices in East Oakland on Thursday. Friday's procession began at the Alameda County Coroner's Bureau in Oakland and ended at a Sacramento funeral home near the home where Byrd lived with his wife and three children. Oakland firefighters joined local law enforcement agencies in saluting Byrd's procession from overpasses as it traveled on Interstate Highway 580. Byrd spent 11 years with the CDCR, most of that time as a correctional officer. Last year, he transferred to become a parole agent, working with the Oakland parole unit. During Friday's graduation ceremony for new correctional officers in Galt, a moment of silence was held in Byrd's honor. "Rest in peace, Joshua Byrd. I was a sergeant when he came through as a cadet over 10 years ago," said Capt. Ricardo Jauregui. "So, I know I have a lot of staff here who are hurting. And it's a constant reminder of how dangerous our profession is." Law enforcement sources told CBS News Bay Area the suspect, 46-year-old Bryan Keith Hall of Oakland, walked into the Oakland parole office building with a gun. There are no metal detectors at the front entrance. A security guard working in the next building told this reporter he heard two gunshots. After Hall allegedly shot and killed Byrd, he crossed the street and got on an AC Transit bus, law enforcement sources said. Hall allegedly threatened the driver and ordered him to drive away. The sources said he later got off somewhere in East Oakland and allegedly stole a car, which was found abandoned near 79th Avenue and International Boulevard. Hall eventually walked to a bus stop at 90th and International, where police arrested him. A handgun that police say was used in the shooting in a trash can near that car. Hall has a lengthy criminal history in Alameda County that dates back to June 1996. Over the past 29 years, he's been charged with robbery, assault, drug sales, auto theft, evading police, and attempted murder. Before Thursday's shooting, his most serious case involved stabbing a man in Oakland's Lakeshore District in 2022. Officials say he randomly stabbed the victim in the neck. That man survived and Hall later pleaded no contest to assault with a deadly weapon as part of a plea deal. He served more than two years in jail and was released on parole in February. It's still unclear if Byrd was hall's parole officer or what motivated the shooting. The Oakland CDCR parole office was closed on Friday. CBS News Bay Area asked CDCR and the union that represents parole agents whether security measures will be changed, but no response was received as of Friday afternoon. Governor Gavin Newsom ordered that flags at the State Capitol be flown at half-staff in Byrd's honor. Newsom and Acting Governor Eleni Kounalakis issued a joint statement mourning the "heartbreaking loss" and praised Byrd for serving "with integrity and courage". On a GoFundMe page, friends and colleagues described the 40-year-old navy veteran as a "great guy" and "very dependable." The online fundraiser had raised 90% of its $75,000 goal as of Friday afternoon. Byrd's death was the CDCR's first line-of-duty death since 2018.