Maurice had not been handcuffed, and he was never placed under arrest, writes Maurice Gordon, Sr. in a guest opinion on NJ.com.

But the situation quickly and irrevocably escalated when Junior wanted to leave the police car, which he should have been free to do since he was never under arrest. Instead, Sgt. Wetzel accosted him and ultimately shot him six times before his body collapsed on the side of the highway. Despite shooting Junior six times, he offered no first aid. He then put handcuffs on my son’s mortally wounded body as he laid helpless on the side of the parkway, the grieving father says.

Let me be clear: my son would still be alive if he was white. He would not have been treated with such suspicion, cruelty and abject injustice if he had a different skin color. His mother and I would not have this much trouble getting details on our child’s killing if our community did not face the constant threat of discrimination and brutality. None of this would have happened if we were not Black, the story continues.

Read the full story here.