“I could not help but think about my son, Ennis, who was also brutally murdered,” Cosby wrote. The one-time comedian said that his son — who died in 1997 at the age of 27 — was killed by “racial hatred” and that before his killer “shot our beloved Ennis in the head and abruptly ended his life, this raging inferno of [racial hatred] stated, ‘Die N****r’ before he pulled the trigger.”

Ennis was shot in the head by 18-year-old Mikhail Markhasev in a failed robbery attempt.

“I understand the pain; I understand the helplessness; and I, too, understand that NO parent has willingly filled out an application to become a member of the ‘My Child Was Murdered by Racial Hatred’ club,” Cosby continued in the statement.

As for the use of police force to quell protests, Cosby has a message for mayors. He said they “can’t send police officers out in tactical gear, ready and willing to inflict bodily harm, which doesn’t reflect peace nor the expectation of a peaceful protest … Officers — remove your tactical gear, remove your guns, put on the Full Armor of GOD and march with the people whom you have made your enemy.”

Markhasev was sentenced to life in prison without parole.