"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.
Trayvon Martin's mother: It cannot get worse than this
Sybrina Fulton is one of the few people who know what Michael Brown's family is dealing with right now. In 2012, her 17-year-old son Trayvon Martin was shot to death by volunteer neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman. Anderson spoke with Ms. Fulton who said that one of her first thoughts after learning of the shooting in Ferguson was 'here we go again.'
Benjamin Crump represented Trayvon Martin's family after his shooting. He is now representing Michael Brown's family. Mr. Crump discussed the Browns' meeting today with Attorney General Eric Holder.
Parallels between the killing of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis
The hung jury on the first-degree murder charge against Michael Dunn is raising some of the same questions about race and justice in Florida asked after the George Zimmerman trial. Gary Tuchman took a look at the similarities and differences between the Zimmerman and Dunn trials.
In an interview with New Day's Chris Cuomo, George Zimmerman described himself a "scapegoat." John Berman spoke to Chris Cuomo about their conversation.
George Zimmerman's wife speaks out
It has not been a great week for George Zimmerman. First he was arrested on domestic violence charges in an incident involving his girlfriend. He spent Monday night in jail, where he was served with divorce papers. Today his soon to be ex-wife, Shellie Zimmerman, appeared on Katie Couric's talk show "Katie." Anderson looks at what she said and discusses it with Mark O'Mara, one of the attorneys who helped win Zimmerman's acquittal in the Trayvon Martin case.
Police called to Zimmerman residence
Trayvon Martin's family on Dr. Martin Luther King's Dream at 50
Next week is the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. For many, it will be a time to contemplate the state of Dr. Martin Luther King's dream. It comes as the nation is grappling with several sensative racial issue including stop-and-frisk laws, the Trayvon Martin case, and now the recent killing of college student Christopher Lane. John King spoke with Trayvon Martin's parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracey Martin, along with their attorney Benjamin Crump.
Questions of race in the "boredom" killing case
As attention on the so called "boredom" killing of college student Christopher Lane grows, so do questions about the role of race. Some are already comparing it to killing of Trayvon Martin, and questioning why the media, and President Obama are not handling it the same way. Criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos, conservative blogger Crystal Wright, and B.E.T. editorial brand manager Michaela Angela Davis weigh in on the case.
Could feds bring a civil rights case against George Zimmerman?
If authorities move forward with a civil rights case against George Zimmerman, how difficult would it be to prove? Anderson discussed it with criminal defense attorney Danny Cevallos and CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Sunny Hostin.
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