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Killing of Ma'Khia Bryant

Coordinates: 39°54′56.6″N 82°50′22.8″W / 39.915722°N 82.839667°W / 39.915722; -82.839667
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Killing of Ma'Khia Bryant
Part of 2020–2021 United States racial unrest
Map
Incident location
DateApril 20, 2021 (2021-04-20)
Time4:45 p.m. EDT (UTC−4)
LocationColumbus, Ohio, US
Coordinates39°54′56.6″N 82°50′22.8″W / 39.915722°N 82.839667°W / 39.915722; -82.839667
TypeShooting
ParticipantsNicholas Reardon
DeathsMa'Khia Bryant

On April 20, 2021, Ma'Khia Bryant, an African-American 16-year-old girl, was fatally shot by Columbus police officer Nicholas Reardon in Columbus, Ohio.[1] Body camera and security camera footage released after the shooting showed Bryant charging another teen with a knife as she was shot.[2][3][4][5] The officers applied medical treatment and Bryant was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead half an hour later. The incident is under investigation.[6]

The shooting of Bryant gained attention for occurring half an hour before the guilty verdict of State v. Chauvin was announced,[7] as well as for occurring as the United States was grappling with other cases of police killings of young people of color, including Daunte Wright and Adam Toledo.[8] Reactions have included protests and calls for reform by politicians in the United States.[9]

Incident

External videos
video icon Columbus Police show body cam footage of officer shooting, killing teen girl, YouTube video by NBC4 Columbus

Around 4:45 pm EDT on April 20, 2021, officers from the Columbus Division of Police responded to a call reporting an attempted stabbing in 3100 block of Legion Lane in southeast Columbus. Upon arriving, officers saw an altercation involving at least four people. Body camera footage shows Bryant in black clothing holding a knife while moving towards another girl,[3] who had fallen to the ground. Bryant then moved towards a second girl dressed in pink who had her back against the hood of a parked car. The officer shouted "get down" several times before firing at least four shots, striking Bryant as her right arm, holding the knife, was raised at the girl in pink.

Bryant was shot in the chest multiple times and immediately collapsed in the road next to a parked car. She was later pronounced dead in the hospital. A neighbor's video shows an officer performing CPR on the teenager while a man can be heard yelling: "You all just jumped out of the fucking car and shot her!".[10][11][12]

The shooting happened about 25 minutes before the judge read the verdict convicting former police officer Derek Chauvin of murder and manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd. Bryant's death caused outrage nationwide,[13] as her killing was the second high-profile fatal shooting of a teenager by police in that month.[14] Adam Toledo was unarmed with his hands in the air when he was shot and killed by a police officer.[15]

Reactions

Protesters in Downtown Columbus on the night of the incident

Initial news reports were brief in detail, describing the shooting of a 16-year-old involved in a stabbing incident. Further updates reported details, including that Bryant was the alleged perpetrator in the conflict the police were called to.[16]

Later that day, the Interim Chief of Police Michael Woods held a press conference about the shooting. The body camera footage was released at this time, though not the identity of the officer who shot Bryant. Woods stated that the department's use of force policies permitted deadly force to protect the officer's own life or the life of another person. Investigation of the shooting has been transferred to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Andrew Ginther, the mayor of Columbus, said that "based on this footage, the officer took action to protect another young girl in our community", calling the shooting a tragic day.[12] Later, in a press conference, Ginther called the situation a failure.[17]

Jen Psaki, the White House Press Secretary, told reporters that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the situation.[18] She said that the shooting was tragic, making reference to higher rates of police violence experienced by Black and Latino communities, as well as the particular vulnerabilities of children in foster care.[19] Psaki said the killing was linked to "systemic racism and implicit bias."[20] Senators Cory Booker and Raphael Warnock commented that the killing pointed to the need for police reform.[21] Professional basketball player LeBron James reacted to the news of the shooting by tweeting "You're next", the hashtag "accountability" and a picture of the officer involved. James later deleted the tweet and followed up with a more nuanced explanation of his feelings.[22]

Protesters marching on April 21

About 50 protesters gathered in Downtown Columbus on the night of the shooting; more gathered as they marched to the police headquarters to protest the shooting.[23]

On April 21, Woods held another press conference, during which two 9-1-1 calls relating to the shooting were played. During the first, the caller tells the dispatcher that there were girls trying to stab them. More body camera footage was also released. Mayor Ginther said that the footage from the cruiser camera would be released later that day or the following morning.[24]

Protesters outside of Columbus Division of Police headquarters on April 21

Over 500 Ohio State University students marched from the Ohio Union to the Ohio Statehouse beginning at 2 p.m. on April 21.[25] Protesters at the Ohio Statehouse chanted "Black Lives Matter" and "Say her name" that afternoon.[26] More than 150 protesters gathered for a vigil for Bryant and then a march to Columbus Division of Police headquarters later that day.[25] At 9:30 p.m., a group of between 200 and 250 protesters marched to the Ohio Judicial Center.[26]

Experts on use of force policies stated that the body camera footage gave the impression that Reardon acted with a reasonable use of force that is legally justified. Those interviewed include Philip Stinson, a Bowling Green State University criminal justice professor and James Scanlon, a CPD veteran and former trainer who has served as an expert witness at use-of-force trials. The two described that guns are an appropriate response to situations involving lethal force, and that police are only trained to target a person's center mass, in order to effectively neutralize the threat. Stinson stated that if Reardon failed to act, it would likely have led to serious bodily harm or death.[27] Geoffrey Alpert, criminology professor at the University of South Carolina, also gave a personal assessment that the use of deadly force seemed appropriate.[28]

The killing caused further examination of police shootings in Columbus, with Newsweek reporting that Columbus Division of Police has killed the third-highest number of children of any US police department from 2013 to 2021. Six children were fatally shot by Columbus police during this time period, compared to eight in Houston and thirteen in Chicago. During this time period, seven children were fatally shot by police in Ohio, with Tamir Rice the only minor not killed in Columbus.[29] Additionally, Franklin County, where Bryant was killed, has one of the highest rates of fatal police shootings in the US.[30]

References

  1. ^ Bruner, Bethany. "Ma'Khia Bryant shooting: Columbus police release 911 calls, ID of officer involved". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  2. ^ Welsh-Huggins, Andrew; Amiri, Farnoush (April 21, 2021). "Police kill Ma'Khia Bryant, 16, who attacked 2 with knife". The Associated Press. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Vera, Amir; Moshtaghian, Artemis (April 21, 2021). "Ohio police officer shot and killed a Black teenage girl holding a knife, police say and bodycam video shows". CNN. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  4. ^ Wagner, Bayliss (April 21, 2021). "Fact check: Ma'Khia Bryant was holding a knife when shot by police". USA Today. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  5. ^ "Security camera shows wide-angle of deadly police shooting of Ma'Khia Bryant". ABC. April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Al-Arshani, Sarah; Jankowicz, Mia (April 21, 2021). "Columbus, Ohio, police release graphic bodycam footage of Ma'Khia Bryant shooting". Insider. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  7. ^ Joseph, Peniel. "Ma'Khia Bryant's death on the day Chauvin was found guilty is a reminder that we have a long way to go". CNN. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  8. ^ Gamar, Maryam. "The history of police killing children in America". Vox. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  9. ^ "Protests across Columbus following fatal police shooting of Ma'Khia Bryant". USA Today. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  10. ^ https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-04-21/police-kill-makhia-bryant-16-who-attacked-2-with-knife
  11. ^ Vigdor, Neil; Pietsch, Bryan (April 20, 2021). "Teenage Girl Is Fatally Shot by Police in Columbus, Officials Say". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Romo, Vanessa; Diaz, Jaclyn (April 20, 2021). "Columbus Police Shoot and Kill Black, Teenage Girl". NPR. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  13. ^ https://eu.dispatch.com/story/news/education/2021/04/21/marchers-protests-columbus-ohio-makhia-bryant-shooting/7321216002/
  14. ^ Welsh-Huggins, Andrew; Amiri, Farnoush. "Police kill Ma'Khia Bryant, 16". Star Tribune. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  15. ^ https://www.vox.com/22394326/makhia-bryant-adam-toledo-police-killing
  16. ^ D'Angelo, Bob; Seiger, Theresa; Desk, Cox Media Group National Content. "Ma'Khia Bryant shooting: Police ID officer who fatally shot Ohio girl, 16, holding knife". KIRO 7 News Seattle.
  17. ^ "'This Is A Failure,' Columbus Mayor Says After Death of Ma'Khia Bryant". The New York Times. April 21, 2021. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  18. ^ Villareal, Alexandra (April 21, 2021). "Biden briefed on 'tragic' police killing of Ma'Khia Bryant, White House says". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  19. ^ "White House addresses fatal police shooting of Ma'Khia Bryant". 10 WBNS. April 21, 2021. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  20. ^ "Ohio shooting: Columbus police kill black teenage girl". BBC. April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  21. ^ Ludlow, Randy; Hawkins, Derek; Firozi, Paulina; Olorunnipa, Toluse (April 21, 2021). "Fatal police shooting of Black teenager in Columbus sparks new outcry". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  22. ^ McMenamin, Dave (April 21, 2021). "LeBron James explains why he deleted tweet on police shooting of Ma'Khia Bryant". ESPN. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  23. ^ DiTrolio, Megan (April 22, 2021). "A Columbus Police Offer Shot and Killed Ma'Khia Bryant. Here's What We Know". Marie Claire.
  24. ^ NBC4 Staff (April 21, 2021). "More body camera video released from fatal shooting of Ma'Khia Bryant by Columbus police officer". NBC4. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ a b Hendrix, Sheridan; Zachariah, Holly; Lagatta, Eric (April 21, 2021). "Protests, vigil take place across Columbus one day after Ma'Khia Bryant shooting". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  26. ^ a b "Protesters gather downtown following fatal Columbus police shooting of 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant". WBNS-TV. April 21, 2021. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  27. ^ Futty, John. "'No opportunity' to de-escalate: Use-of-force experts say Columbus officer obeyed training in shooting Ma'Khia Bryant". The Columbus Dispatch.
  28. ^ Williams, Kevin; Healy, Jack; Wright, Will (April 21, 2021). "'A Horrendous Tragedy': The Chaotic Moments Before a Police Shooting in Columbus" – via NYTimes.com.
  29. ^ Fung, Katherine (April 21, 2021). "Columbus, Ohio, Police Have Killed Third Most Children in U.S., Compared to Other Departments: Data". Newsweek. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  30. ^ Gabbatt, Adam (April 21, 2021). "Ohio county where girl, 16, was killed is state's deadliest for police shootings". The Guardian. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
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