news

As George Floyd's killer was found guilty, 16 year old Ma'Khia Bryant was shot dead by police.

A Black girl has been killed by police in Columbus, Ohio, just moments before Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder in the death of George Floyd

Family members have identified her as Ma’Khia Bryant. She was 16 years old.

Local news outlets are reporting that police were called to a block at about 4:30pm on Tuesday, local time, with a report of an attempted stabbing. 

According to family members who spoke to 10TV, it was Ma’Khia who called the police for help.

After arriving at the scene, a police officer reportedly shot Ma’Khia Bryant multiple times and killed her. 

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther has confirmed "a young woman tragically lost her life" and said body-worn camera footage of the killing will be reviewed as soon as possible.

ADVERTISEMENT

Her mother has told local journalists that Ma’Khia was an honour-roll student who was a "loving, peaceful little girl".

"Ma’Khia had a motherly nature about her. She promoted peace," her mother, Paula Bryant, shared. 

ADVERTISEMENT

A crowd of demonstrators have gathered in the area, asking for justice and transparency from the officers. Local media say one person held up a sign saying, "Black kids matter". 

"What will it take for y'all to stop killing us?" one woman is heard asking in a video of the protests. 

Crowds were also shouting, "Black lives matter".

ADVERTISEMENT

It comes as former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of killing George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who lost his life last May as he grasped for air under the unrelenting knee of Chauvin. He was found guilty of all three charges: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. 

The most serious of those charges, second-degree unintentional murder, carries a maximum sentence of 40 years.

African-Americans are killed disproportionately by police in America. According to The New York Timesmore than one third of people shot by police in the U.S. are African-American, despite only making up 13.2 per cent of the population.