Columbus, Ohio Shooting: More Body Cam Video Shows How Police Shot Ma'Khia Bryant

Officials in Columbus, Ohio, released more body camera footage on Wednesday that shows how a police officer fatally shot a 16-year-old Black girl who charged with knife at two females.

Ma’Khia Bryant, 16, was shot by officer Nicholas Reardon on Tuesday afternoon after law enforcement were called to the scene of a disturbance.

According to Bryant’s family, the teen called 911 asking authorities for help, saying a group of girls were threatening her. Police have yet to confirm it was Bryant's voice on the call.

"We need a police officer here now. We got these ... grown girls over here, trying to fight us,” the female caller told a 911 operator.

The newly released footage from police shows Reardon fired several shots at Bryant, who was seen confronting the two females, who were next to a car. The 16-year-old fell to the ground after a quick succession of gunshots.

Body camera footage later showed officers administering first aid and what seemed to be a knife lying beside the teenage girl.

Authorities said that they received the initial 911 call at 4:32 p.m. The first officers arrived at the scene at 4:44 p.m. Reardon was working alone when he pulled up at the address. Ten seconds later, he fired four shots.

Reardon, who joined the force in December 2019, is now off street duty pending an investigation.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said state investigators will determine whether the officer should be held accountable.

"We don't yet have all of the facts but we do know that a 16-year-old girl, a child of this community, tragically died last night," Ginther said of the shooting.

"Bottom line: Did Ma'Khia Bryant need to die yesterday? How did we get here? This is a failure on the part of our community. Some are guilty but all of us are responsible," he added.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday also commented on the shooting of Bryant, saying that the Biden administration plans to address systemic racism and bias.

“We're thinking of her friends and family in the communities that are hurting and grieving her loss. We know that police violence disproportionately impacts Black and Latino people in communities and that Black women and girls, like Black men and boys, experience higher rates of police violence. We also know that there are particular vulnerabilities that children in foster care, like Ma’Khia, face,” she added.