A Black teenage girl was fatally shot by a Columbus, Ohio police officer after her family says she called 911 for help.
Sixteen-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant called police on Tuesday afternoon (April 20) around 4:30 p.m. with a report that someone was trying to stab her. According to a report by 10 WBNS, the emergency dispatcher attempted to get more information from the caller but couldn’t before the call disconnected.
Police arrived on the scene around 4:45 p.m. Body camera footage released by the department shows an officer arriving on the scene and firing multiple shots at Bryant.
During a press conference, interim Police Chief Michael Woods said the footage showed Ma’Khia attempted to stab others before the officer shot.
“What the video shows is the female with a knife attempting to stab the first female that lands on the ground,” Woods said, per a report by People. “And then the second female that is pushed against the vehicle.”
Authorities did not share her name, though her mother, Paula Bryant, identified her as well as Franklin County Children Services who said Ma’Khia was a foster child in their care.
Protesters gathered outside of the Columbus Division of Police, chanting “Say her name, Ma’Khia Bryant.” Bryant’s killing came just moments after the guilty verdict came down the Derek Chauvin trial for the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
It also comes just months after Columbus officers fatally shot Andre Hill and Casey Goodson last December.
An investigation into Ma’Khia’s killing is being handled by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
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