Ohio police officer who shot 16 Yr Old Ma’Khia Bryant has been cleared of all charges
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost stated on Friday that a grand jury opted not to charge Columbus police officer Nicholas Reardon in the deadly April 2021 shooting of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant, who appeared to be wielding a knife at the time of the shooting.
Some of Bryant’s relatives said she was acting in self-defense against a group of ladies who had approached her when Reardon fired four rounds at her. Minutes before former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of her murder, Reardon, a white man, shot Bryant, a Black woman. Her killing caused protests and indignation across Columbus. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki made a point about the difficulties Black and Latino communities, as well as children in foster care, endure despite without addressing Reardon’s role in the incident.
Two Ohio special prosecutors said the grand jury’s decision was based on Ohio law, which allows for the use of deadly force by police officers in the event of an imminent threat of death or serious injury, in an AP statement.
Using mace or physical force against Bryant, who was shown wielding a steak knife at a woman in the front yard of Bryant’s foster home in Ohio, would have been pointless, according to Reardon.
According to a statement released by Bryant’s family on Friday, Reardon should have had “other non-deadly options available to deal with this situation,” and they called for changes to Ohio’s foster care system to improve safety.
Franklin County district attorney hired Merkle and Shroyer as special counsel because of a conflict of interest arising from the county prosecutor’s office also serving as legal counsel for the local children’s services agency.
A lawyer for Bryant’s family told the New York Times, “We believe the tragedy that ultimately resulted in Ma’Khia’s death started long before she was shot and killed by a Columbus police officer.” Michelle Martin. “There must be full-scale changes made to Ohio’s foster care system to ensure that this doesn’t happen to another child.”