He wrote that he never wanted his mother to have to bury a son. Then he was killed by police.
"I see mothers bury their sons. I want my mom to never feel that pain."
Posted — UpdatedTwo years ago, Antwon Rose wrote those prescient lines in a poem for his 10th grade English honors class. He titled it, "I am not what you think."
He refused to be "just a statistic," the 17-year-old African-American wrote.
On Tuesday, an East Pittsburgh police officer fatally shot the unarmed teenager, who ran as police stopped a vehicle suspected of being involved in a shooting in a nearby community, the Allegheny County Police said. The officer was placed on administrative leave as the department investigates, police said.
In a few days, Antwon's mother will bury him.
His family released the poem Thursday through the Woodland Hills School District, where he attended school.
Antwon's mother wanted the world to read the poem her son wrote. He wrote about being "confused and afraid," wondering about the path he would take in life. The poem was read aloud at a rally Thursday in East Pittsburgh, the borough southeast of Pittsburgh where the shooting occurred.
"I understand people believe I'm just a statistic," he wrote. "I say to them I'm different."
He dreamed, he wrote, "of life getting easier."
Here is the poem in its entirety:
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