White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the Ohio police the shooting of a teenager who appeared to be handling a knife as “tragic” and said she would fuel the White House to continue to address “systemic racism.”
“Let me just say, since you gave me the opportunity, the murder of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant by Columbus police is tragic. She was a child,” Psaki said. “We know that police violence disproportionately affects black and Latin American individuals and communities, and that black women and girls, such as black men and boys, have higher rates of police violence.
“We also know that there are certain vulnerabilities facing children in foster care, such as Ma’Khia,” Psaki added.
She said President Biden had been informed of the situation.
The White House set a strong tone in light of Derek Chauvin’s verdict and renewed police brutality protests across the country. Psaki did not mention that the girl appeared to be attacking another with a knife.
The footage of the camera shows a young girl attacking several people with what appeared to be a knife in Columbus, at which point a police officer fatally shot her. (Columbus Police Department)
(Columbus Police Department)
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“Her death came, as you mentioned, just as America hopes to take a step forward after the traumatic and exhausting trial of Derek Chauvin and the verdict that was reached. So our focus is to work to address systemic racism and implicit prejudice and, of course, to pass laws and legislation that will implement much-needed reforms in police departments across the country, ”she continued.
Police were called to the scene at a home in Columbus, Ohio, around 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, following a report of someone trying to stab others.
As soon as the police stopped, a young woman could be seen approaching another female on the ground with what appeared to be a knife in her hand. The girl can then be seen loading herself at another nearby woman who was stuck between a car while lifting the knife apparently in the air. The officer involved fired four shots, fatally injuring Bryant.
A man immediately yelled at the officer, “You shouldn’t have shot her! It’s just a kid, man!”
The officer replies, “She had a knife. He just went to her.”
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Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther mourned the loss of the young victim, but defended the use of force by the officer.
“We know that based on this film, the officer took steps to protect another girl in our community,” he told reporters. “But a family is sad tonight and is young [16-year-old] the girl will never come home. “
It is unclear if anyone else was injured during the attack. The officer involved in the fatal shootings was taken off the streets amid an investigation into the shooting, authorities said.
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“This should never have happened,” Paula Bryant’s teenage mother told 10TV as a tear ran down her face. – She’s a loving girl. The teenager’s family said she was the one who called the police and took a knife to defend herself in a neighborhood fight.
Protesters gathered near the location of the shooting and at the Columbus Police headquarters on Tuesday night. Many were seen crossing police barriers outside headquarters at the same time as images of the body camera were shown.
The songs “Black Women Matter”, “Black Girls Matter” and “Tell Her Name!” he called from the crowd.
Paul Best of Fox News contributed to the report.