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Who was Ma’Khia Bryant? Girl, 16-year-old, dies after being shot 4 times by Columbus cop over 911 call for help

The shooting victim was officially identified as Ma’Khia Bryant by a relative early Tuesday evening

A landmark verdict was passed in the Derek Chauvin trial on April 22, 2021. Hours later, a piece of heartbreaking news left America devastated. A Columbus police officer shot and killed a Black 16-year-old girl on Tuesday afternoon, a family member said. The shooting victim was officially identified as Ma’Khia Bryant by a relative early Tuesday evening. Her name was misspelled as Makiyah Bryant on Twitter.

“She was a good kid. She was loving,” Ma’Khia's aunt Hazel Bryant — who sounded deeply hurt and appalled — told reporters on the east side of Columbus. “She was 16 years old. She didn’t deserve to die like a dog in the street.” The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is now investigating the fatal police shooting in South Columbus after cops were called to the 3000 block of Legion Lane just before 3.45 pm on reports of an attempted stabbing.

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Who was Ma’Khia Bryant?  

Ma’Khia Bryant was just 16 when she succumbed to a bullet shot and died. Her mother Paula Bryant shared photos with her and wrote: “Fly high in heaven babygirl!” Explaining the incident, her aunt said the teenage girl had called the police because someone in her house was abusing her. The 911 call that brought police to the scene was said to be about an attempted stabbing. Reportedly, police saw a knife lying on the ground when they arrived and shot her four times in the chest. 

A report by The Daily Beast says that a woman identified as Tay Jones claimed she witnessed the shooting and posted a video from the scene. Talking about why the knife was lying there, Jones said it was “because somebody tried to jump her.” According to her, the White cop who shot her did not tell her to put down the knife before firing the bullet.

The teen was later taken to Mount Carmel East hospital where she was pronounced dead. After the tragic incident, a group of about 20 residents angrily chanted slogans like “Black Lives Matter!” “No Justice, No Peace!” and “No racist police!” 

What happened at the scene? 

“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,” Mayor of Columbus, Ohio, Andrew Ginther posted. He 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.”

In no time, #JusticeForMakiyahBryant started trending and people posted what really happened. “15-year-old Makiyah Bryant called the police to help her because someone was threatening her. She was frightened and reportedly had a knife to defend herself. A cop arrived and shot her dead,” one tweet read.

“Makiyah Bryant was shot today 4-5 times by the police of Columbus Ohio during the reading of the Derick Chauvin verdict. all she had on her was a knife and SHE was the one who called the police. she was only 15 years old. #SayHerName,” one tweet read and another said, “Makiyah Bryant was shot four times by this cop just after Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder. she was not dangerous. she called for help, she was acting in self-defense. she was fifteen years old. a child. #SayHerName

The name of the cop has not been revealed but his photos are being widely shared on social media. 

A GoFundMe petition has been set up for the case. The Change.Org campaign — that had over 500 signatures — read: “Makiyah Bryant was getting attacked by a group of girls at her house. She did the right thing by calling the police for help to de-escalate the situation. She had a weapon for self-defense but was never intending on hurting anyone or an officer. When the officers arrived, they did not ask her to drop the weapon or engage.”

It continues, “They arrived and immediately shot her several times and she passed away. This all happened while Derek Chauvin’s trial was ongoing and a verdict was being announced in front of millions across the globe who countlessly protested for a year. I am calling for justice for Makiyah Bryant next because our social justice work is not over yet. Our activism must continue to ensure we get police accountability.”

This is a developing story. We will update it with the latest updates.