Who was Eric Garner? Mother shares personal insights into her son's life

NEW YORK -- Wednesday marks 10 years since the murder of Eric Garner, who died at the hands of a New York City Police officer after being taken down in what is now an illegal chokehold.

It was captured on cell phone video and replayed countless times as the city and the country tried to reconcile the killing of an unarmed Black man targeted for allegedly selling loose cigarettes.

The officer responsible was eventually fired , but never prosecuted .

CBS New York's Maurice DuBois sat down with Garner's mother, Gwen Carr, who shared deeply personal insights into her son's life, which until now have been largely overshadowed by the tragedy of his death.

"I think about the good"

"I think about Eric every day," Carr said.

"And what comes to mind?" DuBois asked.

"I think about the good. I try not to drive too much on the tragedy," Carr said.

That tragedy was captured on video as he pleaded "I can't breathe" over and over.

It became a flashpoint in the city's history, but to his mother, 10 years later, Garner's memory evokes an intense mix of thoughts and emotions.

"I laugh about some of the silly things like that what he used to do or the things he used to say," Carr said. "He was always teasing my daughter ... He said, 'You got no business talking to no boys, you still seeing the pediatric doctor.' And he would say crazy stuff all the time."

Carr described her son as a man who loved basketball, football and cars.

"'I want to own many garages and fix foreign cars.' That's what he said he wanted to do," Carr said.

Carr smiled as she shared many of her recollections.

"Why would you get killed for a loose cigarette?"

Carr has shown uncommon strength, having been thrust into a full-time role as a social activist , but the raw emotion of losing her son is never far from the surface.

"Do you ever shed a tear?" DuBois asked.

"I do," Carr said.

"How often?" DuBois asked.

"A lot of times, sometimes I shed them without even realizing I'm shedding tears," Carr said.

"Do you ever tell your grandkids about his last words -- 'I can't breathe'?" DuBois asked.

"They know that those were his last words. And it's just so disheartening to think of it that he was losing his life as he was saying those words. And it just tears me apart," Carr said.

"It's become a part of the culture , those words," DuBois said.

"Yes," Carr said.

Carr said she was "elated" by the protests the swept the city in the wake of Garner's death.

"Did it give you a lift?" DuBois asked.

"It did ... It made me think that people cared," Carr said.

"When you ask yourself, why did this happen, what do you end up?" DuBois asked.

"He was a Black man in America, and they targeted him. Because why would you get killed for a loose cigarette?" Carr said. "When the children are stopped in our neighborhood, they're not treated like our counterparts in the White neighborhoods ... Just because our zip code determines where we live, it shouldn't determine if we live."

Wednesday on CBS2 News at 11 p.m., Carr discusses the last decade without her son, the policing changes that resulted from his death and her life as an unlikely activist.