Columbus communities look for solutions as gun violence grows
According to a study from The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence, Ohio ranked 23rd in the country for the highest gun death rate in 2019. Author: Kevin Landers Updated: 5:33 PM EDT May 6, 2021
COLUMBUS, Ohio Columbus has recorded 66 homicides as of May 6, according to the division of police. That compares to 38 homicides at this time last year.
Those who live in areas where gun violence is common say it’s a complicated problem to solve.
“Half these kids don t have a mother, a father, an uncle, a cousin. That s really going to help them out or get them away from any violence,” said east Columbus resident Calvin Cox.
Two teens, in fact.
One of them, you know. Ma Khia Bryant, 16, was shot and killed by a Columbus police officer who had been summoned to a report of an attempted stabbing.
Police body camera footage shows Bryant rushing at another girl with a knife in her hand, at which point the officer shoots her.
Police called the shooting an unavoidable tragedy. But coming as it did within an hour of the guilty verdict against Chauvin in the death of George Floyd, Bryant s death became the latest flashpoint in the national debate over police use of force.
Her death made national news. Protesters took to the streets, shouting out her name. A monument of stuffed animals, flowers and silvery balloons grew on Legion Lane, the East Side residential street where she lived