On Tuesday night, Columbus police released bodycam footage showing the deadly shooting of an officer at a 15-year-old girl earlier in the day.
The truncated video begins the moment the officer gets out of his vehicle and encounters the teenager who appears to be armed with a knife chasing a girl out of a house.
The girl who was being chased falls on the grass in front of the police. The agent calls the suspected suspect to “get down” before the teenager goes to another girl in the hood of a car, as shown in the video.
As the teen turns the apparent gun toward the second girl, the officer fires several shots at the alleged suspect and hits her.
Police said they were called to the home around 4:45 p.m. for the call of a stabbing attempt.
After the shootings, two adults remained outside. “He’s a boy, man,” one of them can be heard saying to the agent.
A black handle blade that looks like a kitchen knife can be seen in the video lying on the sidewalk next to the girl.
Police have not identified the teenager, but family members told 10TV it was Ma’Khia Bryant.
Bryant’s aunt told The Columbus Dispatch that Bryant lived in the block of a foster home.
The shooting, which took place shortly after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd, sparked protests in the city.
The agent who fired the deadly outbreaks has not been identified. But he has been taken off the streets awaiting an investigation, acting police chief Michael Woods said at a news conference Tuesday night.
It was not immediately known if the other two girls who were being attacked were injured.
Woods said that for reasons of transparency, the department was quick to move forward to release at least some of the body camera material.
State law allows police to use lethal force to protect themselves or others, and investigators will determine if that shooting was such a case, Woods said.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther also addressed the media Tuesday night, where he appeared visibly shaken.
“It is a tragic day in the city of Columbus. A horrible and heartbreaking situation, ”he said.
“The city of Columbus has lost a 15-year-old girl today.”
“Based on these images, the officer took steps to protect another young woman in our community,” the mayor said.
“But a family is in pain tonight. And this 15-year-old will never return home. “
The Ohio criminal investigation office is conducting an independent investigation into the shooting, the mayor said.