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Who is Paula Bryant? Mom says Ma’Khia Bryant, 16, shot dead by Columbus cop was an honor-roll student

'Ma’Khia Bryant was an honor roll student and a sweet child,' said Paula

Hours after the verdict on Derek Chauvin's trial was delivered, a piece of gut-wrenching news left the nation broken. Ma'Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old, was shot and killed by a Columbus police officer.

The mother of the victim, a visibly distraught Paula Bryant, came forward to speak about her daughter whom she called a "sweet child" and a good student. "Ma’Khia Bryant was an honor roll student and a sweet child," said Paula.

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Who is Paula Bryant?

This is a developing story and therefore, we do not have detailed information about Paula. However, what we could gather so far from her Facebook page is that she is associated with the Regency Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in some capacity and that she works at Arbor's East Skilled Nursing and Rehab and the Franklin Medical Center.

Paula is holding up strong knowing that it's going to be a long road to justice. "Fly high in heaven baby girl," Paula posted on social media. 

Meanwhile, aunt Hazel Bryant said: "She was a good kid. She was loving. She was 15 years old. She didn’t deserve to die like a dog in the street." Explaining the order of events, Hazel said that the teenager had called 911 because someone tried to jump her. When the police officers arrived, they saw a knife on the ground and before she could explain herself, they shot her four times in the chest.

Soon after, Ma'Khia was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. While The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation assesses the case, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther has posted on Twitter: "This afternoon a young woman tragically lost her life. We do not know all of the details. There is body-worn camera footage of the incident. We are working to review it as soon as possible. BCI is on the scene conducting an independent investigation," and added: "As they do with all CPD-involved shootings. We will share information that we can as soon as it becomes available. I’m asking for residents to remain calm and allow BCI to gather the facts."

Naturally, Ma'Khia's killing has sparked outrage among social media users who asked important questions as they tried to wrap their heads around another shocking death. 

"Who recruited and trained these Police people. Are they by chance trained to kill black people on the slightest excuses? Or do they believe there will be no consequences for killing blacks," one wrote, while another shared: "Poor angel, this is beyond sickening. They're going to try to get as many as they can because Chauvin was found guilty today."

"The officer standing over the knife had a body-cam on his body. They need to release the footage quickly," a user pointed out.