Columbus police fatally shoot Black teen who called them for help, family says

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Columbus, OH – A Columbus police officer shot and killed a Black teenage girl on Tuesday (April 20) afternoon just as a guilty verdict was being handed down in the Derek Chauvin murder trial, her family says.

Victim

The shooting victim has not been officially identified, but was named as 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant by her mother early Tuesday evening.

Paula Bryant told 10TV that her daughter, whom she described as an honor roll student, was shot dead in the incident on Tuesday afternoon.

According to 10TV, Ma’Khia’s aunt Hazel Bryant said her niece called the police because someone in the house was abusing her.

“She was a good kid. She was loving,” Hazel Bryant told reporters. “She was 16 years old. She didn’t deserve to die like a dog in the street.”

Paula Bryant Makiyah Bryant’s mom

Incident

Police say they responded after they received a 911 call around 3:45pm EST where a person reported a woman was trying to stab them and then hung up, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

Police played the graphic video during a press conference only a few hours after the shooting death.

The police chief acknowledged it was unusual to release the video so fast, but he said it was being done in the interest of transparency. You can watch the video here.

The body cam video shows the officer arriving to a chaotic fight scene in what appears Bryant is in a scuffle with another female, who falls on the ground, before she moves toward a second woman near a car, police say with a knife.

The officer then fatally shoots her.

Authorities confirmed that the victim was shot by an officer and was transported to a local hospital in critical condition but died from their injuries.

Tay Jones who posted the videos to her Facebook page, claimed in one post, “They shot a 15 year old black girl 4 times in the chest f*** 12!!!” She claimed Facebook removed a post in which she wrote, “this is the f****** that shot her her 4 times in the chest for having a knife because somebody tried to jump her didn’t tell her to put it down didn’t ask questions or nothing & SHE the one called them for help. Smh F*** 12!!!!”

Columbus police chief said during the press conference that deadly force can be used to protect a third person. He said the shooting is under investigation.

Director of Public Safety Ned Pettus Jr. said his heart was breaking for the family, calling Ma’Khia’s death a tragedy.

This story is still developing. Stay tuned for updates.