Antwon Rose was not a thug, says his mother, and the teenager is not on trial. The ex-cop who killed him is



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"It was a rose that pushed concrete," said Michelle Kenney about her youngest child. "Despite the darkness that surrounded him, he was kind, loving and funny, and the smile that emerges from his photos is a reflection of his identity."

Kenney acknowledged in her letter that she knew nothing about the trial strategy, but she knew that it is important that the jurors of the trial of ex-officer Michael Rosfeld, who started on Tuesday , understand the character of his son.
Allegheny County attorneys, Daniel Fitzsimmons and Jonathan Fodi, recipients of Kenney's letter, are dealing with the criminal homicide case against Rosfeld. His defense attorney on Tuesday asked the jury to ask what a reasonable officer would do under the same circumstances and described Rose as an "accomplice" in a previous shootout.

Following a shootout in June in North Braddock, Pennsylvania, the 30-year-old policeman parked on a car matching the description that had been given.

Antwon was in the car. Unarmed, he ran. Rosfeld opened fire and hit the teenager in the face, right arm and back, according to the minutes of the hearing. Evidence suggests that Antwon was not the armed man during the previous shootings, and Rosfeld declared inconsistently that he believed Antwon had a gun, such as l & # 39; indicate the records.

The shooting provoked numerous demonstrations in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area.

Mother knows that she was hard for the DA office

"While I sit during the trial and the defense discusses the dangers of the community in which Antwon lived and the criminal element that surrounded him – even the allegations of criminal involvement the day of his assassination – I remember how unique he was and will always be for me and for those who knew him best, "wrote his mother.

She thanked Fitzsimmons and Fodi for their hard work and patience, and she apologized for the times when she directed her frustrations to the Allegheny County Attorney's Office.

Recognizing her bias as the boy's mother, she swore to defend her heritage and her memory. She acknowledged that every mother thinks her child is exceptional, but she is not the only one to feel this way about Antwon.

"I see mothers burying their sons," wrote Antwon

"Bright witty and hilarious, his friends also say that he was one of the best skiers they knew.He taught the kids in our neighborhood to go rollerblading, skateboarding and even gave the kids their own blades and skateboards (only for me to replace!), "wrote Kenney.

"I've always wanted Antwon to know how much I loved him and I realize now how much he was loved by many members of the community."

"How could anyone hurt this kid?

As a result of the shooting, other people familiar with the young man supported Kenney's characterization. The Woodland Hills School District, where Antwon participated in a program for gifted students and took specialized courses, called him a generous and promising student.

"He had that million dollar smile," Deputy Superintendent Licia Lentz said at the time. "He was good and the teachers really tried to guide him."

Gisele Barreto Fetterman, owner of the Free Store in Braddock, where her husband was mayor, said that Antwon had volunteered at the store during the summer of 2015 and came regularly on Saturdays. She described him as an attentive and mature young man with "such great energy".

The store provides food, toys, clothes, backpacks and other items to community members, and Antwon would offer to entertain the children while their parents were picking up what they needed, she said.

"He was just a very good kid, he had those big, very intense eyes, he was very smiling, very clumsy," Fetterman said shortly after Antwon's death. "I'm thinking of how his life has been cut short and all the things we will not see him doing and all the dreams that we will never see him accomplish." It's a really sad day. "

Antwon counted basketball, surfing, skating, jazz saxophone and volunteering among his interests, according to his funeral program. The Pittsburgh Switch & Signal Skatepark, which nicknamed him "one of our skaters," posted a recollection on Instagram, claiming that the video of the shoot "showed a scared kid running for his life".

"How could anyone hurt this kid, feel threatened by him, see him as a threat?" It's disconcerting and sad, but the world we live in sees Antwon as a threat because he was a black boy in a car, "said the post.

"Nice, clumsy and fun"

Friends, family and teachers described Antwon as hardworking. He took his first job in a gym club and then in two pizzerias. One of his friend's parents recalled how he brought his pizza to his friends after work.

Kimberly Eads Ransom, owner of the Pittsburgh Gymnastics Club where Antwon worked in 2015 and 2016, fondly remembered "Mr. Antwon" chasing kids with pool noodles and joining them for bounce sessions on the trampoline.

"He was friendly, funny and fun," Ransom said in a June message posted on Facebook. "When I worked with him, he had big plans and big dreams and was a pleasure for people.My favorite memory of him was when he appeared in full suit under a sweltering heat for his job interview in a gym and I hired him right away. "

It's those kind of memories that Kenney implored prosecutors to pass on to the jurors as the Rosfeld trial unfolded, she wrote.

"They deserve to know the real him, the defense tried to make him look like" another thug ", but please, let the jury know who he really was," she pleaded.

She closed by saying, "I sincerely believe that you are just as determined to get justice done for Antwon, just like my family and all the lovers and supporters of justice for Antwon! Thank you for understanding my dominating power, protective and sometimes authoritarian nature, what makes me most proud in life is that I am and will always be the mother of Antwon. "

Lauren del Valle from CNN contributed to this report.

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