DAYTON — A capacity crowd of 450 filled Shiloh Baptist Church on Friday afternoon for the funeral of Kylen English, the 20-year-old man who died while in police custody last week.

English, who was well-known in the community as an aspiring singer and musician, plunged to his death July 16 from the Salem Avenue bridge.

Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl said English was sitting handcuffed in the rear passenger seat of a police cruiser when he broke a window with his head, escaped from the cruiser, then jumped to his death from the bridge. English expressed suicidal thoughts moments before he escaped from the cruiser, according to an audio recording from inside the cruiser that Biehl released to local news organizations.

The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office has preliminarily ruled the death a suicide. Dayton police are conducting a review of what happened.

Friends and family have questions about his treatment in custody, questions that popped up throughout the service.

The Rev. Paul Mitchell of Revival Center Ministries said he knew English as an always fresh, friendly presence who attended many churches and made many friends readily.

“He could have run for mayor,” Mitchell said. “His claim to fame is Facebook and YouTube. He was a good kid, but had internal struggles his family knew about. But we all have internal struggles.”

Cousin Sheldon English said between tears that, “Kylen was my best friend and we did everything together. I call his phone every day to see if he’ll pick up. He doesn’t call me back. I tell him to call me every day. It just changed my outlook on everything.”

English, a graduate of the Life Skills Center, leaves a son, Kylen English Jr., mother Rachel Shaw and father Bobby L. English Sr., sister Keishanna Harris and Brothers Kevin Harris, Robby, Bobby L. Jr. and Armani English and grandparents and cousins.