Columbus police on Wednesday identified the officer who fatally shot Ma’Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old Black girl, saying officer Nicholas Reardon fired his weapon after Bryant threatened two other girls with a knife.
The big picture: The new details came as members of the community "challenged official accounts of [Tuesday's] incident and demanded to know why the officer used lethal force against a young girl," the Washington Post noted.
- The shooting of the teen occurred just before the verdict was announced in the Minneapolis murder trial of former officer Derek Chauvin, and as the nation grapples with police reform.
Details: Law enforcement responded to reports of a disturbance about 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, police said....
- The Columbus Division of Police released bodycam footage at a Tuesday night news briefing they said indicated Bryant was trying to stab two people with a knife before she was shot. She was transported to a local hospital where she was later pronounced dead.
- "We know based on this footage the officer took action to protect another young girl in our community," Mayor Andrew Ginther said at a briefing.
- In new footage shared by police on Wednesday, "Reardon can be seen emerging from his vehicle as Bryant appears to chase someone," per the Post.
- "The teen then turns toward someone else wearing a pink sweatsuit and takes a swing at her head, a blade briefly visible in her hand. The officer fires four shots at the girl," the Post added.
- Reardon had been with the force since December 2019. The department has taken him off