Hundreds of people held a two-minute silence outside a police station for a man who died in custody in Kirkcaldy last month.

Collette Bell, partner of Sheku Bayoh, and their five-month-old son Isaac during the funeral procession. Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA

Crowds turned out in the Fife town on Sunday to support the family of Sheku Bayoh, the 31-year-old gas engineer whose death is being investigated by Scotland’s police watchdog, the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC).

They took part in a funeral procession fromHayfield Road, where police were called to an incident involving Bayoh on 3 May and now the site of dozens of floral tributes.

Members of the community joined the father-of-two’s relatives and friends on a walk to Kirkcaldy police station, where he was remembered during a two-minute silence.

A hearse with a floral wreath reading “Daddy” led the procession.

The crowd, including many people wearing T-shirts with a picture of Bayoh, chanted “we want answers” and “we want justice”, before heading to the Kirkcaldy Islamic Centre for prayers.

The family’s lawyer Aamer Anwar told those gathered: “The family have never asked for anything unreasonable – they have simply asked for answers of what happened.

“They have tried desperately to keep an open mind and they still try to do so.”

Bayoh, originally from Sierra Leone, had lived in Fife for more than 10 years. He will be laid to rest later at Dysart Muslim cemetery.

The Scottish Police Federation said officers had been responding to a call about a man brandishing a knife.

Bayoh’s family have questioned why no officer has been suspended while the inquiry takes place, and Anwar has criticised the SPF, saying that the officers should have spoken to the PIRC immediately after the death.

PIRC said it had made “several attempts” to secure statements from the officers, who have now agreed to provide them.