Police Killing of Ma’Khia Bryant, Who Attacked 2 With Knife, Sparks Outcry, Media Criticism

Just twenty minutes before Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict was announced on Tuesday, a police officer in Columbus, Ohio fatally shot Ma’Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old black girl in foster care. Body camera footage released less than six hours after the incident showed Bryant swinging a knife at another girl when the officer shouted “Get down!” three times and shot her four times; Bryant died later at a hospital. According to Bryant’s aunt, Bryant had dropped the knife before the shooting and had called the police for help after a group of “older kids” allegedly threatened her with assault. Police said they responded to a 911 call about an “attempted stabbing,” but could not confirm the identity of the caller as of Wednesday. The shooting sparked protests throughout Columbus on Tuesday and Wednesday. Many prominent figures spoke out about the incident, and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the killing “tragic.” Outlets from across the spectrum covered the shooting and the public response. Coverage in right-rated outlets often criticized the left and left-rated outlets’ response to the shooting, particularly criticizing some tweets, headlines and video editing that downplayed or did not mention Bryant’s knife. While some of these headlines were published before the release of body camera footage and later updated, some were not.