MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Who is Janiah Bryant? Ma'Khia Bryant's sister, 15, 'crying constantly' after watching her get shot by cop

Janiah had reportedly called the cops in March begging them to remove her from the foster home where she and Ma'Khia were placed

When 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant from Columbus, Ohio, was fatally shot by a police officer outside her home, her sister witnessed her death from close quarters. Ma'Khia was shot as she rushed towards another girl with a kitchen knife during an ongoing scuffle. Her death was mourned by thousands across the US by those who called it a result of police brutality and racially motivated action by law enforcement.

Meanwhile, Ma'Khia's 15-year-old sister Janiah Bryant is reportedly 'crying constantly' ever since she saw her die from close quarters. In fact, it was Janiah who screamed and informed their family about Ma'khia being shot. The two sisters were incredibly close and best friends. "Ma'Khia was her best friend, they were almost like twin sisters. She's crying constantly, she's grieving. She said, 'mommy, I couldn't save Ma'Khia,'" their mother Paula Bryant revealed to Daily Mail.

READ MORE

Who was Ma'Khia Bryant trying to stab? Neighbor says teen was in 'full attack mode' and 'needed to be stopped'

Ma’Khia Bryant's 5-year plan: 16-year-old said she wanted to ‘run the world’ and open her own eyelash salon

Who is Janiah Bryant?

Ma'Khia's mother Paula Bryant, 42, lost custody of Ma'Khia, Janiah, and her two other biological children around four years ago. Among them, Ma'Khia and Janiah were placed together at a foster home in Columbus. Janiah, who is 15 years old, was right there when Ma'Khia was shot. Their mother Paula, who stays 70 miles away in Mansfield, was allowed weekly supervised visits to Columbus to see her two daughters.

In late March 2021, Janiah had reportedly called 911 to complain about their foster home and told the dispatcher that she wanted to leave the place and return to Franklin County Child Services. She had even threatened to kill someone if she was not removed from the home, according to a report by the Columbus Division of Police. 

As police officers from CPD responded to her call and arrived at the foster home, Janiah elaborated how she had got into an argument with her sister Ma'Khia and their foster mother Angela Moore. "When officers informed Janiah Bryant that they could not place her into another foster home, Janiah Bryant “became irate and stated that if she does not get to leave, then she was going to kill someone in the home.” 

The trauma and tragedy

The officers transported Janiah Bryant to Children’s Hospital for a psychological evaluation, according to the police report, Tom Sussi wrote in his investigative report about the incident. 

Janiah was traumatized to see her sister being hit by four bullets by police officer Nicholas Reardon on April 21, 2021. In a state of panic, she called up their mother Paula to deliver the news while 'screaming'. "Janiah said mommy, I need you, I have something to tell you, Ma'Khia has been shot. She was crying, she couldn't talk properly, she was just crying and screaming and telling me ''I love you, I love you," an emotional Paula Bryant recalled while speaking to Daily Mail. 

She also added that Ma'Khia's final words to her were "Mommy, I love you. I miss you so much, you're a good mom." She reciprocated the same during the mother and daughter's last interaction five days prior to her tragic death.