By Jeff Brumley
The mother of a Cleveland, Ohio boy killed by police expressed gratitude for participants of a protest organized by a Baptist church.
“The police murdered my son,” Samaria Rice said in a story published by the Columbus Dispatch. “There is no justification for it.”
Rice’s 12-year-old son, Tamir, was shot Nov. 22 by a police officer following reports of gun-wielding suspect.
Tamir was black and the officer was white, sparking more outrage over police killings of black males.
Greater Praise Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Columbus organized the Dec. 21 protest at the Ohio Statehouse.
“This could have happened to anyone’s kid,” Rice said during the protest.
During the march, the newspaper reported that protesters chanted “Hands up, don’t shoot!” and “I can’t breathe” — both of which reflect recent protests agaisnt the police killings of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner in New York City.
After calling for justice and fairness, the Dispatch reported that she thanked participants for marching from the statehouse to Columbus police headquarters and back again.