An officer-involved shooting in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday afternoon left 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant dead, family members told 10TV.
Police were originally called to the scene on the east side of the city around 3:45 p.m. on a report of an attempted stabbing.
The victim, who Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther described as a “young woman,” was pronounced deceased at a local hospital shortly before 5:30 p.m.
Hazel Bryant, who identified herself as the victim’s aunt, said that her teenage niece picked up a knife to defend herself during a fight with other people in the neighborhood.
“Police rolled up, shot my niece four times,” Bryant told 10TV’s Lacey Crisp.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which is investigating the shooting, has not identified the victim.
WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE
Videos posted by local news reporters and bystanders showed a chaotic scene. The shooting occurred just before a verdict was announced in the shooting death of George Floyd, for which former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder.
Mayor Ginther said that there is body-worn camera footage of the incident that authorities are working to review.
“We will share information that we can as soon as it becomes available,” Ginther wrote on Twitter. “I’m asking for residents to remain calm and allow BCI to gather the facts.”
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A crowd gathers at the scene of a fatal officer-involved shooting in Columbus, Ohio.
(@LaceyCrisp / WBNS)
Protesters gathered near the location of the shooting and at the Columbus Police headquarters Tuesday night.
Chants of “Black women matter” and “Black girls matter” rang out from the crowd.
City Council president Shannon Hardin addressed the shooting at a meeting Tuesday, saying that “we need to fundamentally rethink safety in our city.”
“We’re going to need to have the utmost transparency as we go through and learn more,” Hardin said, according to the Columbus Dispatch. “But the truth is that nothing that we will do will bring this young baby girl back. Nothing will stop the family from grieving.”
Another Columbus police officer is facing a murder charge for a fatal shooting. Officer Adam Coy shot Andre Hill on Dec. 22 as Hill was emerging from a garage holding up a cell phone, officials previously said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.