A gang member was held without bail Saturday in the death of Huey P. Newton as the family and friends of the Black Panther co-founder prepared for funeral services.
Tyrone Robinson, 25, faced arraignment on a charge of homicide Monday, the same day as Newton's public funeral here.Newton, 47, was shot to death early Tuesday in what police described as a continuing dispute over drugs.
Police said Robinson, arrested 14 hours after the slaying, told investigators Friday he shot Newton three times in the head in self-defense. He said Newton, who had a history of substance abuse, pulled a gun and demanded crack cocaine, but police said there was no evidence Newton was armed.
Instead, investigators said they believe Newton's slaying was an attempt by Robinson, an admitted small-time drug dealer, to make a name for himself in the Black Guerrilla Family, a drug-running prison-based gang.
Police said a witness to the shooting heard Robinson say "I'll make rank, man, I'll make rank" as he fired the shots, apparently referring to a hoped-for advancement. Police would not identify the witness.
The confrontation was the latest in a series of run-ins between Newton and the Black Guerrilla Family, police said.
"Mr. Newton was a person the BGF felt had crossed them. He had robbed and stolen dope from members of the BGF in the past," said Oakland homicide Sgt. Dan Mercado.
Through a spokesman, Newton's family declined to comment Saturday on the arrest. At the time of his death, Newton and his wife, Frederika Slaughter Newton, lived in Berkeley.
The family prepared for Monday's funeral at Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland.