Editor’s Note: The video this story refers to is disturbing.
Police in Columbus, Ohio, released a bodycam video of the fatal shooting of a teenage girl earlier in the day on Tuesday night. Michael Woods, interim police chief, said at a news conference that it is unusual for video to be released so quickly, but “we understand the public’s need, desire and expectation to have transparency.”
Police did not identify the girl, but her family and Franklin County Children Services identified her as 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant. The family also told CBS Columbus, affiliated with WBNS-TV, that Bryant was the one who called the police for help and said people were fighting outside her home.
Police at the press conference could not confirm who called the emergency number. Police and city officials also named the victim a 15-year-old during the press conference.
Woods said 911 received a call around 4:30 PM. “The information was that a caller said a woman was there to stab them and put their hands on them,” Woods said. The video of the shooting was then played and appeared to show that the victim of the shooting attacked two other people with what appeared to be a knife. The officer fired his weapon several times while Bryant and another girl were wrestling into the side of a parked car. It was unclear what triggered the altercation that was already going on when the officers arrived.
The agents who responded to the scene, including the one who shot Bryant, were not identified.
Woods said “medics were called immediately” and CPR was administered, although that was not shown in the short video. Woods said a longer video would be released once it goes through the proper “editing process” as mandated by public record laws.
“This is a tragedy for everyone involved, but especially for the female’s family,” Woods said after the video was shown.
Woods said the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the shooting. When the BCI has completed its investigation, “the divisional police will conduct an administrative inquiry into the actions of this officer and all officers on the ground,” Woods said.
The officer who killed Bryant will be “taken off the street” while the shooting is under investigation, Woods said. He also said a decision on whether the officer violated any policy will come after the criminal investigation is completed and will be sent to a grand jury.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther called the shooting a “terrible, heartbreaking situation” and said, “From these images, we know that the officer took action to protect another young girl in the community.”
Woods later noted that “deadly force can be used to protect yourself or (for) the protection of a third person. … Whether this is consistent will be part of that investigation.”
“We think it’s critical to share as much information as quickly as possible,” said Ginther. “So we’ll continue to share footage and other information for the next few hours and days.”
The mayor also asked someone with more information about what had happened before the shooting “to share that information with the appropriate authorities.”
Public Security Director Ned Pettus Jr. said, “My heart breaks for the family. Whatever the circumstances, that family is in pain and they are in my prayers. They deserve answers. Our city deserves answers.”
However, he stressed that “quick, quick answers cannot come at the expense of accurate answers.”
Bryant’s mom, Paula Bryant, told WBNS she was “very upset. I’m hurt. I want to answer.”
“My daughter sent the Columbus police for protection, not to commit murder today,” Paula said with tears in her eyes.
Ma’Khia was in foster care. Paula said the two last saw each other on Thursday. “We hugged each other. She said, ‘Mommy, I made a roll of honor.” She said, “Mommy, I’m looking forward to coming home,” said Paula.
‘Ma’Khia had a motherly character. She promoted peace. That’s something I always want to remember, ”Paula added.
Shortly after the shooting, which took place around the same time that the verdict was announced in Derek Chauvin’s trial, protesters began to gather at the shooting and at the Columbus Division of Police headquarters in the center of the city.
Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty, who heads the Congressional Black Caucus and whose district includes parts of Columbus, tweeted that she is “completely out of words about the tragic murder of 16-year-old Ma’khia Bryant by Columbus Police. My prayers. are with her family and friends. Our community is suffering, has been through too much heartbreak and deserves better. “
– Brian Dakss contributed to the reporting.