Ma’Khia Bryant was involved in an attempted stabbing when she was shot.
A teenage girl was shot and killed by police on Ohio yesterday just before Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd.
Chauvin was found guilty of all three counts of murder and manslaughter yesterday following the May 2020 death of Floyd, who died after the former police officer knelt on his neck for over nine minutes.
Elsewhere, police in Ohio were called to a disturbance yesterday after a female contacted emergency services and told them another female was trying to stab her.
Officers arrived to the scene and a teenage girl, later named as Ma’Khia Bryant, was shot. She was taken to hospital but did not survive her injuries.
Columbus interim police chief Michael Woods said that an investigation into the incident has since been launched.
“This is a tragic incident for all involved, but especially for the family of the female,” he said. “As I said earlier, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation is conducting the criminal investigation into this incident.
“At the conclusion of that investigation, the divisional police will conduct an administrative review of the actions of this officer and all officers at the scene.”
According to the Columbus Dispatch, body cam footage of the incident was later released to provide the public with “transparency.”
In the footage, an officer approaches a drive way as a number of young people stand by. Bryant, who is holding a knife, is shot an unknown number of times after appearing to swing towards another girl.
Columbus mayor Andrew Ginther said: “We know, based on this footage, the officer took action to protect another young girl in our community.
“But a family is grieving tonight and this young 15-year-old girl will never be coming home.”
Franklin County Children’s Services confirmed Bryant’s passing last night and that she was in foster care and in their custody at the time of her death.
