At nearly the same time that the guilty verdict was being read in the Derek Chauvin trial, 16 year old Ma’khia Bryant was shot and killed by the police in Columbus, Ohio.
This caused an uproar across the nation. Many claiming that we took one step forward, and 10 backwards. But what actually happened?
The body cam footage has been released, and can be viewed below.
In the video posted by WKYC Channel 3, A use of force expert explains how the use of a firearm was just, and reasonable. He also claims that the use of a taser, or other tool could have caused the death of the other woman. The officer was shooting to save a life.
Ma’khia was wielding a knife. Officers were very verbal yelling at the young girl to disarm herself. She refused.
It was not until the young lady charged another young black girl with her knife that she was shot.
Ma’khia had her arm wound back, ready to plunge her knife into the victim as the officer discharged his weapon 4 times.
The life of the victim was preserved.
Many claim that Ma’khia was the one being attacked and that she was simply defending herself.
At the time of the shooting, Ma’khia was the attacker. She was on top of another person with a knife, dominating them. She was not being chased, she was the one doing the chasing.
She cornered the other girl up against a vehicle and pinned her down.
If the officer had not acted, a murder would have quickly ensued.
