On Dec. 15, 26-year-old Brandon Tate-Brown was pulled over by Philadelphia police in Mayfair for driving without his headlights. Minutes later, he was dead.

What happened in between depends on who you ask. Tate-Brown’s mother, Tanya Brown, said that her son was not confrontational and would never threaten police. The officers who pulled him over said that Tate-Brown struggled with the officers and reached for a handgun in the center console of his car. The officers opened fire. Tate-Brown died at the scene from a shot to the back of the head.

For many, the story echoed the national outrage against police killings, from Michael Brown in Ferguson to Eric Garner in New York City. Both Brown and Garner were unarmed. On Dec. 30, a large crowd gathered outside the 2nd Police District building in Mayfair, calling for justice and an end to killings at the hands of police.

Marching for justice for Brandon #BrandonTateBrown #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/MJ2483Vpug

— Tony Abata (@tonyaabata) December 30, 2014

'#BrandonTateBrown was my friend he was a good person wanted to work make money be a good person' #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/MEhaDWFggh

— Tony Abata (@tonyaabata) December 30, 2014

Philly.com has reported that Tate-Brown had a criminal record and served five years in prison for aggravated assault. Before that, he was arrested on other charges, including attempted murder, but not convicted. Kristen West Savali wrote on TheRoot.com that Tate-Brown’s mother defended her son. She said that the assault was a response to a man beating Tate-Brown’s then-girlfriend.

“His father used to beat me, and he knows that because I shared it with him. I told him, ‘Never put your hands on a woman,’ so he felt he had to do what he did,” Brown told TheRoot.com. “He knew it was wrong. He told the judge he was wrong, and Brandon’s old teachers wrote letters saying what a good person he was. Regardless of what they say, my son wasn’t a thug.”

Brown said that her son had cuts, bruises and a chipped tooth. The police department has not released the names of the officers involved in the incident, and no known camera footage of what transpired exists. Philadelphia police are not required to wear body cameras or have dashboard cameras.