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Ohio officer cleared in shooting of teenager Ma'Khia Bryant

Teen killed by police
Posted at 2:51 PM, Mar 14, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-14 18:10:17-04

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio prosecutors have announced that a grand jury declined to charge the police officer who fatally shot 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant last year.

Bryant was killed in April by Columbus police officer Nicholas Reardon as she swung a knife at another young woman.

Bryant was Black and Reardon is white.

Police were responding to a 911 call made from Bryant's foster home about a group of girls threatening to stab members of the household.

Columbus police officers were called to the scene at around 4:30 p.m. ET local time over reports of an attempted stabbing.

Officials say an officer noticed that one of the girls, later identified as Ma'Khia, was holding a knife. After shoving one girl to the ground, she then turned and advanced on another girl who was standing near a parked vehicle.

Body camera footage showed Ma'Khia swinging the knife at the girl near the car.

The footage then showed the officer firing his weapon within 11 seconds of exiting his car.

Bryant was shot four times and died from those injuries.

Tim Merkle and Gary Shroyer were the special prosecutors on the case.

They said Friday no charges were brought after a full review.