Paula Bryant told reporters at the scene of the incident that her daughter, 16-year-old Makhia Bryant, was shot and killed by an officer in Columbus, Ohio.
On Tuesday night, the Columbus Department of Public Safety held a press conference after a police officer shot and killed 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant Tuesday afternoon. Police also released a body camera video at a Tuesday night press briefing.
The teen’s mother and Franklin County Children Services identified her as 16- Year-Old Ma’Khia Bryant.
Officers were called to the 3100 block of Legion Lane, north of Chatterton Road, just after 4:30 p.m. for a disturbance, police said.
Bryant’s family says she called the police for help because girls were fighting outside her house. Bryant was taken to Mount Carmel East in critical condition where she was later pronounced dead.
The fatal shooting occurred shortly before the verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin who killed George Floyd was announced. It quickly drew at least a dozen Black Lives Matter protesters to the scene, WBNS News reported.
The Columbus Police Department released a body camera video at a Tuesday night press briefing. Police have not yet made public the name of that officer.
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.
During Tuesday night’s press briefing, police also showed a slow-motion video. Interim Chief of Police Michael Woods said the video shows Bryant holding a knife as she pushes two girls at the scene. “Police believe she is attempting to stab both girls during the fight”, Woods said.
Ma’Khia was staying with a foster family at the time, Franklin County Children Services said in a statement.
Journalist Lacey Crisp writes “Ma’Khia had a motherly nature about her. She promoted peace,” said the 16 year-old girl’s mother, Paula.
In a statement tweeted Tuesday evening, Mayor Andrew Ginther said “a young woman tragically lost her life” and that there is body camera footage of the incident. Ginther asked for people to “remain calm” and allow investigators to gather the facts.
Statement from Columbus Public Safety Director Ned Pettus, Jr. on the shooting death of Ma’Khia Bryant:
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