{"id":112591,"date":"2021-04-21T22:36:25","date_gmt":"2021-04-21T22:36:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/?p=112591"},"modified":"2021-04-21T22:36:25","modified_gmt":"2021-04-21T22:36:25","slug":"fact-check-makhia-bryant-was-holding-a-knife-when-shot-by-police","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/business\/fact-check-makhia-bryant-was-holding-a-knife-when-shot-by-police\/","title":{"rendered":"Fact check: Ma’Khia Bryant was holding a knife when shot by police"},"content":{"rendered":"

The claim: Knife was on the ground and away from her when Ma\u2019Khia Bryant was shot by police<\/h2>\n

As America watched a Minneapolis courthouse awaiting a verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial, a new but familiar story broke in Ohio.<\/p>\n

A police shooting had left a Black person dead, sparking immediate protests.<\/p>\n

A confrontation outside a Columbus, Ohio, foster home left 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant dead. This occurred before a jury found Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer, guilty of three charges for kneeling on the neck of George Floyd until he died.<\/p>\n

The Washington Post\u00a0reported\u00a0that just after the incident, 60 protesters had gathered at the scene of the shooting, while 100 more gathered in downtown Columbus and marched in front of several municipal buildings.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Many social media posts have associated Bryant\u2019s killing with the murder of Floyd, and several prominent figures have spoken in outrage about the shooting.\u00a0Despite the limited information available on the Bryant shooting, many presented details of what purportedly happened.<\/p>\n

One such claim, a Facebook post made six\u00a0hours after the shooting\u00a0\u00a0and shared over 3,000 times so far, presents this narrative:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

“As the George Floyd verdict was being announced, Columbus Ohio Police killed 15 year old Makhia [sic] Bryant.\u00a0She called the police as she was about to get jumped. She had a knife in her hand for self defense, but when officers arrived it was on the ground away from her. The officer immediately opened fired shooting her 4x\u2019s [sic].”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This description misses the mark on several points, most notably in the claim that she was not holding the knife. Police body camera video shows otherwise.<\/p>\n

The user could not be reached for comment.<\/p>\n

Details of the shooting<\/h2>\n

At 4:44 p.m. EDT April 20, police arrived at a foster home in Columbus, responding to a caller who reported women were attempting to stab them and “put their hands on” them\u00a0roughly 15 minutes earlier. The original 911 caller did not mention what weapons were at the scene, Columbus Interim Police Chief Michael Woods said in a press conference that night.<\/p>\n

Woods also released\u00a0body camera footage\u00a0(WARNING: graphic content included in this link)\u00a0from\u00a0the officer who fatally shot Bryant that night\u00a0\u2013\u00a0an unusually quick\u00a0move for police departments.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Immediately after the officer exits his car, the footage shows Ma\u2019Khia chasing and then pushing one teenager to the ground and attempting to attack her. The officer yells, \u201cHey! Get down! Get down!\u201d Seconds later, Bryant lunges at another young woman, who is pressed up against a car.<\/p>\n

The video shows a\u00a0knife in Bryant\u2019s right hand as she swings it toward the other girl. \u00a0The officer then fires four shots.<\/p>\n

The knife falls from Bryant’s hand and clatters to the ground as she collapses.<\/p>\n

Two minutes after police\u00a0\u00a0arrived, Columbus Fire Department medics were dispatched. Bryant was pronounced dead at a local hospital at 5:21\u00a0p.m., The Columbus Dispatch reported.<\/p>\n

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther called it\u00a0“a tragic day in the city of Columbus. Horrible, heartbreaking situation.”\u00a0Many celebrities have spoken out against the\u00a0police’s actions since the shooting occurred.<\/p>\n

Confusion around the details\u00a0<\/h2>\n

But some\u00a0details of what happened remain murky, and in some cases disputed.<\/p>\n

The Facebook post examined here as well as several others misstate\u00a0the\u00a0victim’s name and age. The victim was 16-year-old Ma\u2019Khia Bryant, as Franklin County Children\u2019s Services, which had custody of the teenager, later confirmed to The Columbus Dispatch.\u00a0The shooting took place outside of the\u00a0foster home where Bryant resided.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A police officer shot and killed a 16-year-old Black teen after arriving on the scene to respond to reports of attempted stabbing in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo: COLUMBUS DIVISION OF POLICE)<\/span><\/p>\n

The user\u2019s confusion may stem\u00a0from an account of the event given by Bryant’s aunt, Hazel Bryant.<\/p>\n

Before body camera footage was released to the press,\u00a0outlets like The Columbus Dispatch\u00a0and The Week\u00a0quoted\u00a0Hazel Bryant as saying her niece was 15 and dropped the knife before police fired.<\/p>\n

In addition, Bryant\u2019s mother and another family member told CBS Columbus affiliate WBNS-TV\u00a0that evening that it was Ma\u2019Khia who had called the police and that she was acting in self-defense, but the police have not yet said\u00a0who made the initial 911 call.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During the press conference, Woods said after the Bureau of Criminal Investigation concludes the investigation, the Division of Police would conduct an administrative review of all police present\u00a0at the scene.<\/p>\n

Our rating: False<\/h2>\n

We rate the claim Bryan was not holding a knife when she was shot by police FALSE, because it is not supported by our research. Bodycam footage released by police showed the teen was confronting another girl and wielding the knife as shots were fired.<\/p>\n

Our fact-check sources :<\/h2>\n