Hundreds of mourners have gathered to farewell 14-year-old Elijah Doughty whose death sparked a riot in the Western Australian town of Kalgoorlie, as police indicate an upgrade of charges against the man accused of his manslaughter is now looking unlikely.

Elijah died after allegedly being hit by a ute while riding a motorbike which police initially said was stolen, and linked to the ute's driver.

Elijah "lit up the room with his smile". ( Facebook: Elijah Doughty )

The driver, whose identity has been suppressed by the court, has been charged with manslaughter.

Following the man's appearance in the local Kalgoorlie court, hundreds of people took to the streets to voice their anger, hurling rocks and bottles, injuring a dozen police officers and damaging vehicles and the court.

On Tuesday afternoon, friends and family — including the teenager's mother Petrina Annette James, who was allowed out of prison to attend — gathered in Maku Stadium, South Kalgoorlie to remember the teenager.

Members of the Kalgoorlie City Kangas football team formed a guard of honour as they awaited the hearse.

His small white coffin was carried inside the hall, where tributes to Elijah were read out, along with dozens and dozens of names of family and friends grieving for the teen.

The 14-year-old was described as passionate about motorbikes, receiving his first as a gift when he was just five years old.

"At the age of eight, Elijah's mum and dad bought him a brand new four-wheel-drive motorbike," the funeral celebrant said.

"The joy and excitement on his face was endless … he would come home every day from school and ride it."

Elijah was the third-eldest of seven children, and grew up in the Kalgoorlie Goldfields in Western Australia.

He was a keen footballer, who joined the Auskick program from a young age, and a "very protective" brother to his four sisters, the celebrant said.

An honour guard lined the entrance as Elijah Doughty's coffin was carried inside. ( ABC News: Marcus Alborn )

In the last two years of his life, he travelled to and from Perth with his mother and father, who were planning to move to the city.

But Elijah wanted to stay in Kalgoorlie, the celebrant said.

He loved taking bikes out bush with his cousins and friends, and was doing odd jobs to save up and buy his own cheap, second-hand motorbike.

Early in the order of service, the celebrant asked for patience.

"I can feel a bit of tension there, just relax," he said.

"We got this young boy here … think of him, and lay him to rest with dignity."

After the service concluded, police blocked off streets and provided a full escort as the funeral procession made its way through the centre of Kalgoorlie, ahead of a further graveside service at Kalgoorlie Cemetery.

Manslaughter charge unlikely to be upgraded: Police

Some in the Indigenous community want the charge against the 55-year-old accused of killing Elijah upgraded from manslaughter.

In the immediate aftermath of Elijah's death, Goldfields Esperance Superintendent Daryl Gaunt said there was a chance it could be.

But four weeks into the police investigation, he said it was now not looking likely.

"Not at this stage, but that's not the final position on that," he said.

"Until it's completely done, we will speak to the DPP [Director of Public Prosecutions] because they prosecute these matters and ultimately they'll make the decision on that."

"So once all that investigation is entirely complete we'll seek their guidance on that."

Superintendent Gaunt said tensions remained in the town but he was not expecting any trouble.

"The family have certainly been very strong on both sides of the family that they want this to be a respectful funeral and nothing else," he said.

A significant number of elders and senior members of the local Indigenous community were in attendance, as well as many of the community's youth.