The mother of a man killed by St. Paul police officers made her first public statements in Minnesota at an angry demonstration Sunday.

Kimberly Handy-Jones of Waukegan, Ill., wept as she talked about the killing of her son, 29-year-old Cordale Handy, on Wednesday.

“I am not here to say he was an angel,” Handy-Jones told the group of about 60 supporters. “I am here to say that I loved him.”

The crowd included friends, neighbors and about 20 members of the Black Lives Matter chapter of Lake County, Ill., where Handy-Jones lives. A cluster of candles and flowers lay on the sidewalk, near where Handy died.

The one-hour vigil included prayers, chants and signs saying, “SPPD No. 1 in homicides!” and “Shame” on Minnesota license plates. At one point the group held hands to form a large circle for prayers and song.

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Speakers — including Handy-Jones — repeatedly called for an end to the killing of black men by police.

“How many lives will it take? How many young African-American men will have to die?” said Handy-Jones through a bullhorn.

“My son should be here talking to me. Those cops get to go home and talk to their sons. They have theirs. But they took mine.”

Officers Mikko Norman and Nathaniel Younce shot Handy, 29, at 2:20 a.m. Wednesday.

According to police records, officers were called to an apartment building near Seventh and Sinnen streets for a domestic disturbance.

A resident reported hearing a woman shouting, “Help me, help me!” and “He’s trying to kill me!”

Handy reportedly had fired multiple shots inside his apartment. The man living in the apartment below found a bullet hole in his ceiling.

Police said they encountered Handy on the street.

They said he pointed a gun at them twice and ignored their orders to drop it. Norman and Younce opened fire, killing Handy immediately.

On Sunday, his mother and several speakers called the shooting “murder” and decried the “execution-style” killing.

“I am here for answers. What happened to my son? He was executed,” Handy-Jones said. Related Articles St. Stanislaus’ longtime priest the Rev. John Clay leaves legacy of love. He died Sunday at age 94

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Addressing the police, she said, “I don’t know how you could go home and look in the mirror.”

Handy’s girlfriend, Markeeta Blakney, said, “It’s Black Lives Matter, then it’s White Lives Matter.” She wanted to relabel the movement “My Life Matters.”

“Until we get over color, we are going to continue this,” Blakney said.

When she learned about her son’s death, said Handy-Jones, “I went numb. You keep thinking, ‘Is it true?’ ”

She said that her son came from a good home. “Cordell came from a home where his mom worked two jobs,” said Handy-Jones. “He was always provided for.”

Over the sound of sobs behind her, Handy-Jones said the police had not yet answered her questions about the shooting.

“I want truth,” said Handy-Jones. “I don’t want excuses.”