16-Year-Old Girl Is Shot And Killed By Columbus Police After Calling Them For Help
A crowd is reportedly gathering in Columbus, Ohio near a home on the city’s Southeast Side after news broke of an officer-involved shooting of a 16-year-old girl identified as Ma'Kiah Bryant.
According to the Columbus Dispatch, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation convened on the scene Tuesday night (April 20) to investigate the fatal shooting by a Columbus police officer.
The shooting occurred just before a jury convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin of two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter in George Floyd’s death.
At 4:35 p.m., police received a call about an attempted stabbing on the 3100 block of Legion Lane. The caller reported a female was trying to stab them and then hung up. The Dispatch reports that 10 minutes later, officers responded to the scene and an officer-involved shooting was reported.
At 4:46 p.m., Columbus Fire medics were cleared to arrive on scene. Bryant was transported in critical condition to Mount Carmel East hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 5:21 p.m., Columbus police say.
A family member has confirmed to 10TV that the girl shot and killed was Ma'Kiah and that she was the one who made the call to police for help.
Hazel Bryant told the Dispatch that she is Ma'Kiah's aunt. She says she lived in a foster home near the scene of the shooting and got into an altercation with someone else at the home.
Bryant says her niece had a knife, but claims she dropped it before she was shot multiple times by an officer.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther tweeted Tuesday evening, asking that residents “remain calm and allow BCI to gather the facts.”
Editor's Note: This story was updated to correct the name of the victim and her age.
