Mother Of Rumain Brisbon, Unarmed Black Man Killed By Police, Says ‘It’s Not About Race’

Rumain Brisbon was an unarmed black man shot and killed by a white Phoenix police officer earlier this month.

His name may have been passed over amid the turmoil in Ferguson and New York after the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, respectively, but that was before his mother spoke.

Nora Brisbon, sitting alongside her son’s girlfriend, wept, sometimes uncontrollably, and emphasized that the dialogue the U.S. is currently having should not be about race, but about police training in comments to the Arizona Republic.

The news site reports that Nora does not believe racial profiling was a factor in her son’s death.

“This had nothing to do with race,” she said. “This is about Rumain and the wrong that was done to him, and I want people to focus on that. If they want to rally, let’s support him positively.”

Rumain Brisbon was shot twice in the altercation.

The deceased had substance abuse problems “in the past,” according to his attorney. Police said, that in going through his vehicle after an unnamed 30-year-old white officer shot him in the side and the back, they found “a bottle of marijuana and a semi-automatic weapon.”

Police received a tip that two men in a black Cadillac SUV were engaged in a drug deal.

Brisbon was one of the men inside the car. The officer “told Brisbon to show his hands” but the suspect did not, police said, instead stuffing his hands into his waistband. At this point, the officer drew his weapon and Brisbon ran toward nearby apartments.

After a short foot chase and a struggle “in which they tumbled into an apartment,” the officer said he gripped Brisbon’s hand, “which was in his pocket and coiled around something… presumed to be a gun.”

The Arizona Republic states that “when the officer could no longer keep his grip on Brisbon’s hand — and because he feared Brisbon had a weapon in his pocket — [he] fired two shots.”

Brisbon was gripping a pill bottle.

Despite the circumstances, Nora emphasizes her son was “the type of son that most people, believe it or not, wish they had.”

“Of course he did a few bad things here and there, but they’ve been taken care of,” she said. “He was not just some raggedy thug out there on the street. He made a difference in everybody’s life that he touched.”

Nora said that she hoped for better police training so that men and women in uniform “didn’t kill people just because they’re afraid.” Of her son’s legacy and what happens next, she had this to say.

“Understand that everybody is not bad … (to) think before they shoot,” she said. “So many people are losing their families — Black, White, all different races. This is a tragedy to us as a people.”

What do you think, readers? Is Nora right that the death of her son, Rumain Brisbon, wasn’t about race? And do you think her comments apply in the Brown and Garner cases? Share your thoughts in our comments section.