His mom said it's going to take time for the boy to heal following the ordeal.
A black 9-year-old boy is still grappling with accusations of sexual assault by a white woman, dubbed "Cornerstore Caroline," in New York.
A viral video captured the moment the 9-year-old, Jeremiah Harvey, walked out of the Brooklyn store earlier this month and his backpack grazed against Teresa Klein. Klein, who had her back turned, then accused Jeremiah of groping her and called police.
"I want the cops here right now!" Klein is heard screaming in the video. "I was sexually assaulted by a child!"
After watching the video, Klein apologized, and now claims she called police because Jeremiah’s mom was “aggressive.”
Jeremiah is now trying to cope with the trauma of the event.
"It’s still hard because lately, on my mind ... like, I can’t think nothing but this," Jeremiah told "Good Morning America" in an interview that aired Friday morning. "I felt humiliated because of the way she was acting."
Someko Bellille, Jeremiah’s mom, said she has struggled to explain the situation to her son.
“To be having a conversation with your son about sexual assault at the age of 9 — I never thought I’d be having this conversation,” Bellille told GMA.
Jeremiah and his mother both said they have forgiven Klein, but it may take a while before they overcome what happened.
“This is going to take some time. It’s going to take a lot of healing,” she said. "His innocence was taken for granted.”
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