MA'KHIA Bryant’s family is filing a lawsuit demanding justice for the dead teenager who was shot by the police in Columbus, Ohio, it has been claimed.
Bryant’s cousin Deja Torrence told Insider on Friday that her mother Hazel Bryant – Ma'Khia's aunt – and Ma’Khia’s mother Paula Bryant are considering legal action.
The family is reportedly in talks with a lawyer.
."Someone has to be held accountable," Torrence said.
"The family just doesn't want this to be another senseless killing that goes under the rug and gets overlooked."
Torrence didn’t mention who the lawsuit will be filed against or when it will be filed.
The 16-year-old Black teen was shot by police in Columbus on Tuesday mere hours after Derek Chauvin was found guilty of all three counts of manslaughter and murder charges in the killing of George Floyd.
Angela Moore, her foster mom, said Bryant was involved in a fight with two other girls over housekeeping.
"It was over keeping the house clean," Moore told CNN.
"The older one told them to clean up the house because 'Mom doesn't like the house dirty,'" Moore said. "So that's how it all started."
Moore said two of her former foster children had come to their Columbus, Ohio home to celebrate Moore's birthday when they began arguing with Bryant.
Read our Ma’Khia Bryant shooting blog for the latest news and updates.
- Fatma Khaled
ACTIVISTS ARE CALLING FOR PROTESTS THIS WEEKEND
Activists are organizing a protest in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday in the wake of Ma’khia Bryant's death.
Activist group People’s Justice Project called for people to gather at Goodale Park in the city during the weekend to demand justice for Bryant and protest against the Columbus Police Department.
“Join us 4/25 to demand justice for Ma'Khia Bryant and for all of our children that have been murdered by CPD!” the group said in a Tweet on Friday.
- Fatma Khaled
MA'KHIA BRYANT'S FAMILY 'CONSIDERING LAWSUIT'
Ma’Khia Bryant’s family is filing a lawsuit demanding justice for the dead teenager who was shot by the police in Columbus, Ohio, it has been claimed.
Bryant’s cousin Deja Torrence told Insider on Friday that her mother Hazel Bryant and Ma’Khia’s mother Paula Bryant are considering legal action.
The family is currently in talks with a lawyer, according to Insider.
"Someone has to be held accountable," Torrence told Insider. "The family just doesn't want this to be another senseless killing that goes under the rug and gets overlooked."
Torrence didn’t mention who the lawsuit will be filed against or when it will be filed.
- Fatma Khaled
MA’KHIA BRYANT’S DEATH IS AN ‘UNSPEAKABLE TRAGEDY’, SAYS OFFICIAL
The Director of Columbus Department of Public Safety Ned Pettus described the shooting as an “unspeakable tragedy for everyone involved.”
In a video on YouTube, Pettus said that details of the incident are still limited at the time being as it is undergoing an investigation that is focused on finding facts of the shooting.
“We have to recognize that to our Black friends and neighbors, this is yet another grievous, emotional wound on top of so many that have preceded it,” he said.
“Our Black community is emotionally exhausted,” he added.
Pettus stressed that recognizing the pain of the black community is equally important as pushing for answers, transparency, and accountability.
"We can’t lose sight of the history of trauma and pain in our black community. We have to face that and work to heal it," he said.
- Fatma Khaled
‘SHE WAS A GOOD STUDENT’: FORMER MAYORAL CANDIDATE SAID ABOUT HIS COUSIN MA’KHIA
Former Mansfield Mayoral candidate and Ma’Khia’s older cousin Don Bryant said that the 16-year-old was on a “straightforward path with grades.”
Bryant said that Ma’Khia was caring and offered to help him with his campaign when he was running for higher office as mayor, according to 10TV News.
He said he is used to dealing with public affairs and media outlets but described his cousin’s shooting as “overwhelming.”
“She was caring, smart, and a good person and she liked to do different hairstyles,” he told 10TV News as he remembered his cousin.
Bryant will be working with Ma’Khia’s grieving family, especially her mother Paula in going through the coming days.
- Fatma Khaled
ACTIVISTS ARE CALLING FOR AN INVESTIGATION INTO COLUMBUS POLICING PRACTICES
Some activists in Ohio are pushing for a federal probe to investigate Columbus police’s practices following the shooting of Ma’Khia Bryant.
Activists want the Department of Justice to launch an investigation similar to the one that the Biden administration announced this week which will look into the Minneapolis policing practices, according to NBC News.
"Now that we're here and we've had a consistent decade of patterns and practices of ineptitude and racism, our call is for the Justice Department to investigate," Jasmine Ayres, a community organizer told NBC.
Hana Abdur-Rahim is another activist who agrees that the Department of Justice should launch a probe that investigates policing habits in Columbus, according to NBC.
Abdur-Rahim is filing a lawsuit against Columbus police alleging that an officer used excessive force by pepper-spraying her during a protest in 2017.
Black residents, who make up around 28% of Columbus' population, made around half of all use-of-force incidents from 2015 to 2019, according to a city data report.
- Debbie White
MORE THAN 37,000 SIGN PETITION DEMANDING ‘JUSTICE FOR MA’KHIA’
More than 37,000 people have signed a petition calling for “justice” for Ma’Khia Bryant.
The petition page reads: “On April 20th 2021, another beautiful black life was stolen from us when a white police officer with Columbus Police Department shot and killed 16 year old Ma’Khia Bryant outside her home. Ma’Khia was being attacked and called the police for help.
“We will not let Ma’Khia become just another hashtag.
"Justice would mean that Ma’Khia would still be alive, safe in her home with her family. Ma’Khia was an honor roll student and was loved deeply by her friends and family.
“The undersigned of this petition demand that the State of Ohio, City of Columbus and the Columbus Police Department immediately terminate and arrest the officer who fatally shot Ma’Khia, not once but four times.”
- Debbie White
RECAP: HOW DID MA'KHIA BRYANT DIE?
Police arrived at a home on Legion Lane, Ohio at about 4.44pm after receiving a call at 4.32pm that a woman was attempting to stab someone.
Police bodycamera video from the incident showed two females in an argument, as one was thrown to the ground.
The female who was standing appeared to have a weapon in her hand – which police said was a knife – and moved against a vehicle with another female.
As the pair moved toward the vehicle the girl, who cops say had the knife, raised her arm.
Someone could be heard yelling "Get down!" multiple times as an officer immediately pulled out his gun and fired multiple shots.
The female then collapsed on the ground. She was identified by family as 16-year-old black girl named Ma'khia Bryant.
- Debbie White
CANDACE OWENS CALLS SLAIN TEEN A ‘KNIFE-WIELDING MANIAC’
Candace Owens has shockingly branded Ma’K hia Bryant, who was killed by police, a “knife-wielding maniac” – and called the cop who shot her dead a “hero”.
The controversial right-wing commentator shared her opinions of the incident on Twitter, writing: “Makhia Bryant was a knife-wielding maniac.
“But the goal now is to convince black people to celebrate criminality so I’m really excited to learn about how heroic, kind, and inspiring this knife-wielding maniac was.”
Owens’ remarks drew a great deal of backlash, with journalist Imara Jones pointing out that Bryant “was 16”.
“I do not care,” Owens thundered back in response. “Normal sixteen year olds do not attempt to butcher another human being to death with a knife. Neither her skin color or her age absolves her from any guilt. The responding officer is a hero.”
- Debbie White
ROW OVER CLEANING ESCALATED IN STREET
On Thursday, Angela Moore, who was fostering Ma'Khia, revealed the teen had been feuding with two other girls over an unmade bed shortly before the fight that would end her life.
Moore said two of her former foster children had come to her home in Columbus on Tuesday to celebrate her birthday when the young women and Ma'Khia began arguing over housekeeping.
"It was over keeping the house clean," Moore said. "The older one told them to clean up the house because 'Mom doesn't like the house dirty. So that's how it all started."
"You're not the guardian of me," Bryant apparently told one of the girls, Moore said when recounting the story.
"They argue all the time," Moore recalled, "but I never thought it would escalate like that."
- Debbie White
DEATH OF MA'KHIA 'LIKE LOSS OF BREONNA TAYLOR'
The grieving mother of Ma'Khia Bryant has likened her loss to the family of Breonna Taylor, tearfully admitting: "now I know what it's like to lose a child".
Paula Bryant's daughter Ma'Khia, 16, was shot dead by police in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday during an apparent knife fight sparked by an unmade at her foster home.
"I've always had sympathy for the Breonna Taylor story, and the family and her friends and her situation," Paula said. "Now I know what it feels like to lose a child."
Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT, was shot dead in her own home in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 13, 2020, when police served a no-knock warrant in the middle of the night.
Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, believed they were being robbed when three officers stormed inside. He fired once, striking an officer in the leg. The cops returned fire with a hail of bullets, striking Taylor six times.
Breonna Taylor, 26, was shot dead by police in Kentucky last March inside her home - Debbie White
MA'KHIA 'ANGEL IN HEAVEN'
Ma'Khia Bryant's mom really wants the wider public to focus on the good things in her 16-year-old daughter's short life.
Paula Bryant, the teen's biological mother, told CNN she's keen for others "to remember Ma'Khia… the good things about Ma'Khia, the loving things about Ma'Khia,"
"Ma'Khia I believe is in heaven. She's an angel."
- Debbie White
MA’KHIA BRYANT ‘HOPED TO MOVE BACK IN WITH HER BIOLOGICAL MOM’
Ma’Khia Bryant had only moved into a foster care home, where her younger sister had been staying, on Valentine’s Day this year.
Angela Moore, who provided foster care for the girls, told The New York Times that before she was killed this week, Bryant would often say she hoped to one day live again with her mom.
“That’s all she said, was, ‘I want to be with my mom',” Moore told the outlet.
- Debbie White
MA'KHIA BRYANT 'JUST A CHILD' – JEN PSAKI
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Wednesday: "She was a child.
"We're thinking of her friends and family in the communities that are hurting and grieving her loss.
"We know that police violence disproportionately impacts black and Latino people in communities, and that black women and girls – like black men and boys – experience higher rates of police violence.
"We also know that there are particular vulnerabilities that children in foster care, like Ma'Khia, face."
- Debbie White
KAYLEIGH MCENANY SLAMS JEN PSAKI FOR 'DEMONISING COPS'
Angry Kayleigh McEnany has slammed Jen Psaki for 'damaging' comments on the fatal Ma'Khia Bryant shooting that tied the teen's death to race.
The ex White House secretary for former US President Donald Trump condemned her replacement for "demonising" and "dubbing the police as racist".
McEnany said on Fox News Outnumbered that Psaki "holds an incredible megaphone here.
"And to demonise this officer, to dub the police as racist which is basically what she did by saying that act was not justified or merited when this young girl was about to lose her life at the end of a knife, it’s so damaging.
"[Psaki] has not only gone that far, she’s gone even further to directly tie this to race without evidence, without proof."
- Debbie White
MICHIGAN REP RASHIDA TALIB SAYS MA’KHIA BRYANT’S TIKTOK ‘BREAKS’ HER
Michigan Rep Rashida Talib took to Twitter on Thursday to mourn the loss of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant and comment on the girl’s TikTok videos — which are now being widely shared online.
The teen would share lighthearted videos on TikTok, where she did things like hair tutorials.
“Ma’Khia’s TikTok videos show her childhood and joy,” Talib wrote.
“Her smile at the end of the videos just breaks me a little more."
- Debbie White
'NO MOM SHOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS'
Ma'Khia Bryant's grieving mother says "no parent should have to go through this."
Paula Bryant told CNN's Chris Cuomo: "I'm a single mother of five kids and, you know, now Ma'Khia is gone and I only have four kids, and I can't — that is so hard for me to say.
"I was shocked when I heard the news. It was unbelievable."
- Debbie White
WHO IS COP NICHOLAS REARDON?
Ohio officer Nicholas Reardon has been identified regarding the death of teenager Ma’Khia Bryant.
Bryant was reportedly wielding a knife outside a home on April 20, 2021 amid an altercation with two other women.
He was named as the officer who reportedly fired shots at 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant outside an Ohio suburb.
Reardon had been a Columbus police officer since December 2019.
He has reportedly being placed on paid leave while the investigation regarding the case continues.
Officer Nicholas Reardon was identified in the death of Ma'Khia Bryant - Debbie White
DEATH CAME HOURS AFTER DEREK CHAUVIN FOUND GUILTY
The teen's death came mere hours after former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.
The girl's biological mom Paula Bryant said she was at the dentist when she got the call about what happened to Ma'Khia.
"This is so unreal, the hurt that I feel, I'm devastated. I was shocked when I heard the news. It was unbelievable," she told CNN. "No parent should have to go through this."
- Debbie White
'WORST NIGHTMARE COME TRUE' – FOSTER MOM
The shooting death of Ma'Khia Bryant, 16, was her foster mom's "worst nightmare", she told CNN.
Angela Moore, who had been caring for the teen, was told that the girl had died after being shot four times.
She said: "I never in my worst nightmare would have thought it would ever come to this.
"[Ma'Khia] was fine. She was fun. She liked to dance. She did chores around the house."
Ma'Khia had been arguing over an unmade bed before the fight that would lead to her death - Debbie White
'HORRIBLE, HEARTBREAKING SITUATION' – MAYOR
Mayor of Columbus, Ohio, Andrew Ginther, announced on Twitter that Ma'Khia was, "a young woman [who] tragically lost her life.
"We do not know all of the details. There is body-worn camera footage of the incident.
"We are working to review it as soon as possible. Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation [BCI] is… conducting an independent investigation.
"It's a tragic day in the city of Columbus. It's a horrible, heartbreaking situation."
- Debbie White
'TRAGIC DEATH' – COLUMBUS POLICE
Reporting on Ma'Khia Bryant's death from the UK, the BBC News explained that a cop had approached a group in the driveway and shouted "get down" before firing several shots, fatally injuring the teen.
The cop is heard saying in video footage: "She had a knife, she just went at her."
Meanwhile, a bystander can be heard shouting that Ma'Khia was just a child.
Interim chief of Columbus Police, Mike Woods, told reporters that a probe into the death was being carried out by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
He added: "At the conclusion of that investigation, the divisional police will conduct an administrative review of the actions of this officer and all officers at scene.
"This is a tragic incident for all involved, but especially for the family of the female."
- Debbie White
ARGUING OVER CHORES BEFORE FATAL COP SHOOTING
Ma'Khia Bryant's foster mom, Angela Moore, says that the teen had been arguing with two other girls over chores before she was fatally shot in the street.
Moore told CNN: "It was over keeping the house clean.
"The older one told them to clean up the house because 'Mom doesn't like the house dirty'.
"So that's how it all started."
- Debbie White
'I'M DEVASTATED' – MOM
MA'KHIA Bryant's sobbing mom has urged people not to define her knife-wielding daughter by her shocking cop shooting death.
The teen's biological mother, Paula Bryant, told CNN: "I want the world to know that Ma'Khia Bryant was a very loving 16-year-old girl.
"She was my daughter, my baby. I loved her. She was very talented and smart. She was funny. Her favorite color was blue.
"This is so unreal, the hurt that I feel, I'm devastated."
- Joseph Gamp
MEGHAN MCCAIN SAYS LEBRON JAMES PUT COP WHO SHOT MA’KHIA BRYANT IN ‘DANGER’ WITH TWEET
The View’s Meghan McCain slammed basketball great LeBron James after he tweeted, then swiftly deleted, a photo of the police officer who fatally shot Ma’Khia Bryant earlier this week.
“…when you have people like LeBron James posting pictures of this police officer before it has been adjudicated and litigated, you’re also placing that police officer’s life in danger,” McCain said.
On Wednesday afternoon, James posted a photo of the cop, Nicholas Reardon, along with a caption that read, “You’re next.”
He deleted the tweet shortly thereafter, and clarified that he took the post down because it was “being used to create more hate.”
- Joseph Gamp
EXPLAINED: WHAT ARE THE MA’KHIA BRYANT TIKTOK VIDEOS THAT ARE BEING SHARED?
MA’KHIA Bryant’s old TikTok videos are being shared and view by millions on social media.
The 16-year-old rose to national attention after she was shot and killed by Columbus police officer Nicholas Reardon on April 20. Ma’Khia was an avid user of TikTok where she would share videos on hair tutorials.
In the 24 hours after her death, those videos were viewed by millions of people on the video-sharing app.
People took to Twitter to share the teen’s clips with the hashtag #SayHerName after she was fatally shot in Columbus, Ohio.
Countless comments and condolence messages have also been left under Ma’Khia’s posts on Tiktok, with many calling for “justice” for her.
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