Sherri Shepherd says Elijah McClain reminds her of son in tearful video
The former 'The View' co-host posted a video of her emotional reaction to the story which for many reasons struck a chord with her personally.
This week Sherri Shepherd has joined the chorus of those gutted after finding out about the tragic story of Elijah McClain‘s death.
The 23-year-old Black man was killed by police officers in Aurora, Colo. last summer. His story began to resurface on social media over the last few days this amid the ongoing protests against police brutality and calls for justice for the deaths of Black people whose stories never received the media attention they deserved.
Thursday, the former The View co-host posted a video of her emotional reaction to the story which for many reasons struck a chord with her personally.
(Credit: McClain family photo)
READ MORE: Colorado reopens case of Elijah McClain’s death in police custody
“My son is like Elijah,” she began, explaining why McClain’s death hit home in such a visceral way. “I’m a Black mother and I have a child.”
As a visibly shaken Shepherd begins to cry she continues, “Elijah died because nobody got to know the beauty… These cops, you didn’t take the time to see what Elijah just said. That he was different, and he was murdered. Why? All we want is to know that our child will be able to go to the store and get some ice tea and come back home.”
READ MORE: After Elijah McClain was killed by police, a petition signed by more than 2M seeks justice
“The cops were called bc he looked suspicious (Elijah was wearing a ski mask to help w his anemia and also it helped him w his social anxiety),” she captioned her post, in part. “Elijah was just a beautifully, sweet young man who loved playing the violin for kittens at the animal shelter to make them feel better. Elijah tried to tell the police he was an introvert and was different but they didn’t care.”
McClain was walking in Aurora on the night of Aug. 24, 2019, when a 911 caller reported a “suspicious” person in a ski mask who was “acting weird.”
You can check out a visual explanation of what lead to his death below.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6buxwQax07vR9Y740tPa7x
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ZuyOfTmcLfkxzqMdftiCV
