Police shoot and kill a Black teenage girl in Ohio as George Floyd verdict announced

Police shot and killed a Black teenage girl on Tuesday afternoon in Columbus, Ohio, just as the verdict was being announced in the trial over the killing of George Floyd.

Officers claimed they were responding to an attempted stabbing call when police shot the girl at about 4.45pm local time. Police said the 911 caller reported a female was trying to stab them before hanging up. The girl was taken to hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

In Columbus Ohio, police killed this beautiful young girl today. This is an illustration of why convictions and reform just aren’t enough for our communities.

Ma’Khia Bryant, you should still be here with us. You deserved to live a whole and vibrant life 💛 #makhiabryant. https://t.co/OvtsaKisUc

— Movement 4 Black Lives (@Mvmnt4BlkLives) April 21, 2021

A crowd had gathered on Tuesday night at the scene in Legion Lane, which police had partially blocked off to traffic.

Others gathered at the city’s police headquarters to protest, a week after officers pepper-sprayed a group that tried to enter the HQ over the police killing of a man who had a gun in a hospital emergency department.

Hundreds of protesters pushed past police barriers outside the headquarters and approached officers as city officials were showing the bodycam video inside.

Many chanted “Say her name”, while others yelled “She was just a kid”.

Officers with bicycles pushed protesters back and threatened to deploy pepper spray on the crowd.

The shooting happened some 25 minutes before a judge read the verdict convicting former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin of murder and manslaughter in the killing of Floyd.