"Boys came and knocked on my door and said the police just shot your son" – Samaria Rice
As part of an exclusive interview featuring four mothers mourning lost sons, on Friday Samaria Rice recounted the way in which she learned of her child's death.
"Two more boys came and knocked on my door and said the police just shot your son twice in the stomach," she told Anderson Cooper. "I was still in disbelief until I actually seen my son laying on the ground. And the police was surrounding him."
On Friday, 12-year-old Tamir Rice's death was ruled a homicide.
Watch the above clip, as Samaria Rice explains why she feels video from that day, and audio of Tamir's screaming sister, needs to be seen and heard by the world.
"My son’s race and the color of his skin had a lot to do with why he was shot and killed"
In a CNN exclusive interview, on Friday evening Anderson Cooper welcomed four women, all of whom are mothers grieving for a lost son.
Though the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, and Tamir Rice were different, there existed one constant: in each case the victim was a black male, and perceived to be a threat.
Asked if things might have been different were her son white, and Sybrina Fulton didn't hesitate:
"It’s an easy question for us, I think absolutely my son’s race and the color of his skin had a lot to do with why he was shot and killed," said Trayvon Martin's mom.
Watch the above clip for more of Fulton's response, as well as the answer from Tamir Rice's mother, Samaria.
Did Eric Garner's race cost him his life? His mom believes it did
Connected by similar tragedies, on Friday the mothers of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, and Tamir Rice found themselves together in one room, all talking with Anderson Cooper.
Each of the four women is grieving over a lost son, and though the specifics in each instance varied, certain similarities did exist. And one of those similarities was race.
"If Eric Garner was a white man, in Suffolk County doing the same thing that he was doing – even if he would have been caught selling cigarettes that day – they would have given him a summons," said Garner's mother, Gwen Carr. "He wouldn’t have lost his life that day. I believe that 100 percent."
Watch the above clip as Trayvon Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, explains what she thinks needs to happen for police profiling and racial bias to change.
Anderson Cooper's full interview with NYPD Union President Pat Lynch
Pat Lynch is the President of New York City's Patrolmen's Benevolent Association. He spoke to Anderson at length about the Eric Garner case. He criticized comments from Mayor Bill de Blasio, denied that Officer Daniel Pantaleo's takedown maneuver was a chokehold and questioned the Medical Examiner's report on Mr. Garner's death. There was not enough time in tonight's show for the full conversation, but you can watch it here.
Part two of the interview includes Pay Lynch discussing Officer Pantaleo's feelings about the situation.
What is a chokehold?
The NYPD banned the use of chokeholds more than 20 years ago. In spite of the ban, New York's Civilian Complaint Review Board says it received 219 complaints between July 2013 and June 2014, the month before Eric Garner died. Martin Savidge undergoes a demonstration of several techniques.
Watch as an Eric Garner protest goes completely silent
Protesters in New York City have marched through the streets chanting and stopping traffic. An extraordinary moment occurred live on AC360 as Brooke Baldwin reported from a demonstration in Brooklyn.
Does Officer Pantaleo's testimony match the video?
Video captured the moment that Eric Garner was tackled by police. Now we are learning more about what Officer Pantaleo told the grand jury about that incident. Randi Kaye looks at how his account matches with what's on the video.
Spike Lee: People are losing faith in the justice system
Protests close down New York City's West Side Highway
EA grand jury's decision against indicting an NYPD officer in Eric Garner's death triggered protests across New York City. Demonstrators stopped traffic on what is normally one of the city's busiest roads. Deborah Feyrick was there when a large group of protesters came face-to-face with a line of police officers.
Chris Cuomo was on the West Side Highway where he spoke with a man named George who said that he was a protest leader and explained the movement's motivations.
New York City braces for grand jury decision in Eric Garner's death
A grand jury is expected to decide this week whether a police officer in Staten Island, New York will face criminal charges in the death of Eric Garner. The encounter occurred last July when Garner was stopped for allegedly selling loose cigarettes and put in a chokehold. Garner is asthmatic and could be heard on amateur video gasping and repeatedly saying that he could not breathe. Randi Kaye has the latest on the case.
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