Body cam video shows a woman appearing to express gratitude over the actions of a Columbus, Ohio, police officer who shot 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant on Tuesday afternoon.
The moment: In the footage, a police officer is seen corralling witnesses after his colleague, identified as Nicholas Reardon, shot Bryant while she was in the process of attempting to stab a woman.
- The video shows Bryant’s intended victim repeatedly saying, “She came after me!”
- When the officer asks whether Bryant was armed with a knife, the woman replies, “Yeah, so he [Reardon] got her.”
The narratives: Police reform advocates, racial justice activists and journalists have tried to link Bryant’s death to issues of race and policing, with some characterizing Reardon as a “racist.”
- The incident took place around the same time a verdict was announced in the Derek Chauvin trial, a lightning rod case for the topics of racial justice and police reform.
- Some liberal commentators on Twitter and elsewhere have attempted to downplay the threat posed by the knife-wielding Bryant.
- Meanwhile, many conservatives and some criminal justice experts have argued that Reardon’s use of force was clearly justified.
The aftermath: Reardon has been taken off active duty while the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation conducts an independent inquiry into the incident.
- Also, the shooting has set off a new round of Black Lives Matter protests across the country.
