Ohio Police Fatally Shoot Black Teenage Girl Shot Dead While Responding To Call About Knife Attack Shortly Before Derek Chauvin’s Conviction
A police officer in Ohio, United State has fatally shot dead a black teenage girl while responding to an attempted stabbing call, less than an hour before former officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd last year.
Chauvin, 45, was filmed kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes during his arrest last May.
The widely watched footage sparked worldwide protests against racism and excessive use of force by police.
The latest shooting occurred at a tense time with growing outrage against racial injustice and police brutality in the United States, and set off protests in the city of Columbus.
The 16-year-old victim, Ma’Khia Bryant allegedly called officers at about 4:30 p.m. local time when a group of “older kids” threatened her with assault, her aunt told Ohio Statehouse News Bureau Reporter Andy Chow. She did not elaborate on the nature of the threat.
Confirming the call, the city’s police chief, Michael Woods said officers were responding to a 911 emergency call about a disturbance on Tuesday afternoon from someone who feared being stabbed.
The 911 caller reported a female was trying to stab them before hanging up, they said.
Following death of Bryant, police released a portion of the footage from the body camera worn by the officer who shot the teenager.
Woods said;
We thought it was important to share with the community, to be transparent about this incident, to let them have some answers that we can provide tonight.
Police said the video shows someone trying to stab one person on the ground and a second person.
According to NDTV, the victim appeared to attempt to stab two people with a knife. The video shows an officer approaching a driveway with a group of young people standing there.
In the video, it appears that the teenager, who was moments later shot by police, pushes or swings at a person who falls to the ground.
As the footage continues, the teenager then appears to swing a knife at a girl who is on the hood of a car, and the officer fires his weapon what sounds like four times, striking the girl.
A black-handled blade resembling a kitchen knife or steak knife appeared to be lying on the sidewalk next to her immediately after she fell.
Later on Tuesday night, Franklin County Children’s Services confirmed that the girl was in foster care.
The young girl was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said. It’s unclear whether anyone else was injured.
Hazel Bryant told The Columbus Dispatch that she is the aunt of Ma’Khia Bryant. The girl lived in a foster home on Legion Lane and got into an altercation with someone else at the residence, she said.
Bryant said her niece had a knife, but maintained that the girl dropped the knife before she was shot multiple times by a police officer.
Reacting, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said the girl’s death was a “horrible, heartbreaking situation.”
He called it a “tragic day in the city of Columbus,” and asked his city to pray for the teenager’s family.
Ginther said the officer in the video, whose name has not been released, “took action to protect another young girl in our community.”
Meanwhile, the teenager’s mother, Paula Bryant told the local CBS station: “She was a very loving, peaceful little girl. She promoted peace. And that’s something I want to always be remembered.”
Columbus police stressed that Bureau of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation into the case, but the city wanted to release the body camera to give the public more information.
Further speaking about the incident, Chief Michael Woods said officers are authorized to use deadly force to protect themselves or a third party.
He expressed that the investigation still needs to be completed to determine if the actions of the officers were justified.
Meanwhile, Columbus Public Safety Director, Ned Pettus Jr. urged the public to be patient as the investigation continues, and city officials again called for peace.
Following the incident, a crowd gathered on Tuesday night at the scene on Legion Lane, which police had partially blocked off to traffic. Others gathered at the city’s police headquarters to protest, a week after officers pepper-sprayed a group that tried to enter the headquarters over the police killing of a Black man who had a gun in a hospital emergency room.
Hundreds of protesters pushed past police barriers outside the headquarters and approached officers as city officials were showing the bodycam video inside.
Many chanted, “Say her name!” While others signified the victim’s age by yelling, “she was just a kid.” Officers with bicycles pushed protesters back and threatened to deploy pepper spray on the crowd.
Protesters with Black Lives Matter signs, megaphones and a loudspeaker joined the crowd gathered behind crime scene tape about a half-block away from the shooting scene.
