So What… She Deserved It!
By: Tommy “Tj” Sotomayor

COLUMBUS, Ohio – About 20 minutes before a guilty verdict was announced in the trial of Derek Chauvin, a Columbus police officer fatally shot a teen girl.

Columbus police released body camera footage of the shooting of the 16-year-old girl by just hours after the incident on Tuesday afternoon.

Police received a 911 call around 4:35 p.m. about an attempted stabbing, saying a caller reported a female trying to stab them then hung up.

Franklin County Children’s Services identified the girl who was killed as 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant. Protests also quickly formed at the scene of the shooting and the city’s police headquarters.

Here’s what we know Wednesday:

What does the bodycam footage show?

A portion of the body camera footage was shown to the media Tuesday night in an unusual decision by the city and police.Story from Destin Fort Walton Beach FloridaActivities for the whole family in Destin-Fort Walton BeachFrom snorkeling, to fishing, to family memories and much more, Destin-Fort Walton Beach invites families to get a little out thereSee More →

The video shows an officer approaching a driveway with a group of young people standing there. In the video, it appears Bryant pushes or swings at a person, who falls to the ground.

Bryant then appears to swing a knife at a girl who is on the hood of a car, and the officer fires his weapon, striking Bryant, who died a short time later.

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What do police say happened?

Police received a 911 call at 4:35 p.m. about an attempted stabbing when a caller reported a female was trying to stab them. Officers responded to the scene and reported the shooting at 4:45 p.m.

Columbus Fire medics were cleared to come into the scene at 4:46 p.m., police said. The wounded person was transported in critical condition to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 5:21 p.m., police said.

16-year-old killed

Police haven’t released the name of the person shot, but Franklin County Children’s Services said the girl killed was 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant and that she was in foster care and in the custody of Children’s Services.

Hazel Bryant said her niece lived in a foster home there on Legion Lane and got into an altercation with someone else at the home.Get the Coronavirus Watch newsletter in your inbox.

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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.

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Who is investigating?

The state Bureau of Criminal Investigation will handle the investigation into the shooting. BCI now handles all shootings by law enforcement inside the city of Columbus.

Interim Columbus Police Chief Michael Woods said the investigation needs to be completed to determine if the actions of the officers were justified. He said the officer, who was not named, has been placed on administrative leave.

Columbus Public Safety Director Ned Pettus Jr. urged the public to be patient as the investigation continues.

“She could be my grandchild,” said Pettus. “In any way you look at this, it’s a tragedy.”

Who was protesting at the scene?

Shortly after the shooting, 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. About 50 people had gathered by 8:30 p.m Tuesday.

Kiara Yakita, founder of the Black Liberation Movement Central Ohio, said she is not surprised that another police shooting happened. “Why did they kill this baby?” she asked aloud. 

“We don’t get to celebrate nothing,” K.C. Taynor said through a megaphone of the Chauvin verdict. “…In the end, you know what, you can’t be Black.”

“It’s a tragic day in the city of Columbus,” said Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. “It’s a horrible, heartbreaking situation.”

During a council committee hearing Tuesday evening that allowed members to meet nominees for a new police civilian review board to investigate officers’ uses of force, council President Shannon Hardin announced there had been another police shooting.

“We don’t know very much as it stands, and as we watched the verdict from Minneapolis many talked about the sigh of relief — but there is a truth that for so many in our community there is no relief. This is not alright, it’s not OK, and it can’t continue on,” she said. 

She added: “We’re going to need to have the utmost transparency as we go through and learn more. But the truth is that nothing that we will do will bring this young baby girl back. Nothing will stop the family from grieving.”