Ma’Khia Bryant, 16, killed in Ohio police shooting; bodycam footage released within hours
Updated 7:04 AM;
Today 7:04 AM
In an image from police bodycam video that the Columbus Police Department played during a news conference Tuesday night, April 20, 2021, a teenage girl identified as Ma’Khia Bryant, foreground, appears to wield a knife during an altercation before being shot by a police officer Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio.Columbus Police Department via WSYX-TV via AP
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Mark Ferenchik, The Columbus Dispatch (TNS)
COLUMBUS, Ohio In an unprecedented move, Columbus police showed body camera footage of the shooting of a 16-year-old girl by a Columbus police officer just hours after the incident on the Southeast Side.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – About 20 minutes before a guilty verdict was announced in the trial of Derek Chauvin, a Columbus police officer fatally shot a teen girl.
Columbus police released body camera footage of the shooting of the 16-year-old girl by just hours after the incident on Tuesday afternoon.
Police received a 911 call around 4:35 p.m. about an attempted stabbing, saying a caller reported a female trying to stab them then hung up.
Franklin County Children s Services identified the girl who was killed as 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant. Protests also quickly formed at the scene of the shooting and the city’s police headquarters.
Ma’Khia Bryant: Columbus police release body camera footage in shooting of 16-year-old Mark Ferenchik, The Columbus Dispatch
In an unprecedented move, Columbus police showed body camera footage of the shooting of a 16-year-old girl by a Columbus police officer just hours after the incident on the Southeast Side.
The shooting, which happened about 20 minutes before a guilty verdict was announced in the trial of Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd, prompted hundreds to protest at the shooting site and Downtown.
The video shows an officer approaching a driveway with a group of young people standing there. In the video, it appears that the 16-year-old, identified now as Ma’Khia Bryant, who was moments later shot by police, pushes or swings at a person, who falls to the ground.
Bodycam footage revealed that when authorities arrived, the first officer on the scene approached a group in the driveway of a home, and a teen quickly moved toward another girl with what appeared to be a knife, and the other girl fell to the ground.
At that point, the officer yelled, Hey, hey, hey, hey. Get down! before the girl holding what appeared to be a knife lunged towards another second girl with the potential weapon.
The officer shouted, Get Down! Get down! Get down! Get down! and then fired four shots in the direction of the teenager.
Chief Woods went on to say that after this, officers assessed the wounded teen s injuries and summoned a medic.
Apr 21, 2021
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther is asking the public to remain calm after a teenage girl was killed in an officer-involved shooting. Officials released body-cam footage yesterday of the incident during a disturbance in the driveway of a home on Legion Lane. In the video, 16-year-old Ma Khia Bryant is seen pushing a girl to the ground and then turning and swinging what appears to be a knife at a second girl before being fatally shot by an officer. Interim Police Chief Michael Woods and Mayor Ginther said the officer acted to save the life of the girl being threatened with a knife. Franklin County Children s Services says Bryant was in foster care when she was fatally shot by police. A statement from FCCS called the death a tragic incident, and said they were continuing their involvement with the family. The state s Bureau of Criminal Investigation is now investigating the shooting. The officer who fired the shots has been placed on administrative leave.