Body camera video shows a Columbus officer fatally shoot a Black teenage girl who swung at two other people with a knife.
A black-handled blade resembling a kitchen knife or steak knife appeared to be lying on the sidewalk next to her immediately after she was shot and fell.
The girl was identified as 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant, according to Franklin County Children Services, which said in a release that she was under the care of the agency at the time of her death.
Body camera footage for Columbus Police officer Nicholas Reardon, who shot Bryant shows several people fighting in a driveway when he arrived on the scene. The video shows Bryant, 16, pushing one person to the ground before appearing to swing a knife at another person.
Reardon yelled “get down” repeatedly and then fired four shots, hitting Bryant.
Police say Bryant was taken to Mount Carmel East hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
It's unclear if anyone else was injured.
The quick release of the footage is a departure from police protocol but comes amid heightened tension between Columbus police and the community they serve.
Columbus police also released two 911 calls. In the first call, a woman asks for police help because someone is trying to fight and stab them.
The second call lasts just a few seconds. The caller hung up because police had just arrived on the scene.