Jan 8, 2008 7:18 pm US/Pacific
Injured Brothers Attend SF Tiger Victim's Funeral
SAN JOSE (AP) ―
Mourners gathered Tuesday to pay their respects to the teenager mauled by a tiger at the San Francisco Zoo, with the two young men who were with the boy at the time of the attack embracing his parents during the funeral services.
Carlos Sousa Jr. was laid to rest in an Oakland Raiders jersey in a mausoleum at Calvary Catholic Cemetery. He was killed Christmas Day when a 350-pound Siberian tiger escaped from its pen and attacked him and his two friends, Kulbir and Paul Dhaliwal.
The brothers, who appeared to have deep scars on their scalps, did not speak to reporters. At the mortuary before the entombment, they paused in front of their friend's casket and hugged Sousa's parents.
Sousa's parents said they want the brothers to tell them what happened at the zoo, but harbor no ill will against Paul Dhaliwal, 19, who was Carlos' best friend.
"I know he's going to go through a lot of trauma, too," said Carlos Sousa, Sr. "Can you imagine getting attacked by a tiger and losing your best friend?"
Paul and Kulbir, 23, Dhaliwal kept a respectful distance from the family at the cemetery where Carlos SousaJr., entombed.
Dozens of friends attended the funeral, including several young men who wore white T-shirts with a picture of the victim. Several wreaths and floral arrangements were on display.
"We're never going to see our friend again, and that hurts," said Andrea Rosales, who said she had seen Carlos Sousa the night before he died.
The Dhaliwal brothers have not spoken about the incident, and had not appeared in front of reporters before the services Tuesday.
An attorney for the brothers accused city and zoo officials in a letter released Monday of character assassination for suggesting that the young men provoked the animal. The letter also charges that zoo officials knowingly maintained a tiger grotto that "couldn't hold a house cat."
Zoo Director Manuel Mollinedo has said, "Something happened to provoke that tiger to leap out of her exhibit," but has declined to elaborate because police are still investigating.
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
