The authorities of Columbus, in Ohio, published on Wednesday an additional video of a body camera of a police officer who fatally shot an African-American teenager who apparently threatened two other women with a knife.
“We don’t have all the facts yet, but we know that a girl from 16 years, a girl from this community died tragically last night, “the mayor of Columbus told reporters. , Andrew Ginther.
“Bottom line: Did Ma’Khia Bryant need to die yesterday?” added. “How did we get here? This is a failure of our community. Some are guilty, but we are all responsible. ”
Police body camera video shows Ma’Khia Bryant threatening a woman with a knife on Tuesday, before an officer shot him and caused his death , in Columbus.
Ginther said state investigators will determine “if the officer involved was wrong, and if he was, we will hold him accountable.” , reported CNN.
– as they do with all CPD-involved shootings. We will share information that we can as soon as it becomes available. I’m asking for residents to remain calm and allow BCI to gather the facts.
– Mayor Andrew Ginther (@MayorGinther) April 20, 2021
Columbus police identified the officer who fired the shots as Nicholas Reardon, who was hired in December 2019. The officer is off duty, awaiting an investigation.
The fatal shooting occurs at a time when the use of force by police across the country, and in Columbus specifically, is under new scrutiny . In February, former Columbus police officer Adam Coy was indicted on charges related to the fatal shooting of Andre Hill, an African-American of 47 years.
A crowd of protesters, including University students State of Ohio, marched through downtown Columbus to the state Capitol building late Wednesday afternoon, chanting slogans such as “Black lives matter.” They also chanted the name of Ma’Khia Bryant.
What happened, according to the video
The child’s mother, Paula Bryant, and County Children’s Services Franklin had identified the teenager as Ma’Khia Bryant.
In a series of clips from the police body camera video, the girl is seen holding a knife during a fight with another young woman. An officer arrived at the scene and opened fire when the girl seemed to try to stab a second woman.
“She is a… girl,” a man told her at the scene to the officer after four shots were fired. “Damn you, you’re stupid.”
Ma’Khia fell to the ground, the knife at her side. “She attacked her with a knife,” the officer who fired her weapon is heard saying.
The situation developed rapidly, according to clips from the body cameras of three officers on the street. Ma’Khia held a knife in her right hand and charged at a woman dressed in pink, who turned when the teenager appeared to attempt to stab her. It was then that the shots rang out.
The first video of a police body camera, which has violent images, can be viewed here. Viewer discretion is recommended.
The police tried to revive her
The officers Police officers attempted life-saving measures “almost immediately,” said Acting Police Chief Michael Woods , who reported that the first paramedics arrived on the scene within six minutes.
In the video, an officer is heard asking: “Where did they hurt her?” The officer begins to take action to save lives. “Stay with us,” he said to the girl, and asked passersby her name.
“Stay with us, Ma’Khia,” she implored.
The local government officials asked the community to wait until all the facts were known.
If an official becomes “ faces someone who uses lethal force, lethal force may be the answer, ” Woods told reporters.
The governor called the fatal shooting a horrible tragedy
Governor Mike DeWine called the fatal Ma’Khia police shooting a “horrible tragedy” and praised Mayor Ginther’s transparency in posting the incident videos, reported NBC News .
“You can’t forget the fact that you have a dead teenager and that’s a horrible, horrible tragedy, ”DeWine said in a briefing. “We have to look at the facts.”
DeWine added: “We must have enough compassion to care about every child who is shot in our cities. And we must not accept it ”.
DeWine pleaded with the public to be patient and wait for the results of the investigation: “We all want things instantly. I certainly love them, ”he said. “Let an impartial body look at that. I am confident that this will be done in this case, and that is what we should all expect. ”
The police shooting in which Ma’Khia Bryant was killed in Columbus, occurred on the same day the verdict was read convicting former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin of murder , for the death of George Floyd .