.Protesters gathered outside Columbus Police headquarters after the fatal shooting of a teenage girl that occurred just before the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial.
ABC 6 reported a small protest in downtown Columbus prior to the verdict that continued to grow. When reports of the shooting broke out, some protesters relocated in front of the police department headquarters and the crowd grew. The teen was identified as 15-year-old Makiyah Bryant, who was reportedly in foster care and in the custody of Children’s Services.
The ABC 6 report said protesters chanted, “say her name” as they marched in the city. Hundreds of protesters pushed past police barriers outside the headquarters and approached officers as city officials were showing the bodycam video inside. Many demanded police release the body camera footage.
Police released the body camera footage of the incident that showed a young female tackling another female to the ground with what appeared to be a knife in her hand. The girl seems to be charging at another nearby female, at which point the officer fired multiple shots, fatally wounding the attacker.
“She came at them with a knife,” the officer can be heard saying as other officers tended to the girl on the ground.
Tension is high in the city after the Chauvin verdict and last week’s deadly police-involved shooting in Brooklyn Center, Minn.
Mayor Andrew J. Ginther called it a tragic day for the city.
“It’s a horrible, heartbreaking situation. We felt transparency in sharing this footage, as incomplete as it is at this time” was critical, he said, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
He later said at the news conference, “We know based on this footage the officer took action to protect another young girl in our community.”
Fox News’ Paul Best and the Associated Press contributed to this report