Ma’khia Bryant’s Neighbor Claims Police Had ‘No Choice But To Shoot’
One of Ma’Khia Bryant’s neighbors claims that the Columbus police officer who fatally shot Bryant had no other choice, based on what he witnessed through his security cameras.
Donovan Brinson said he witnessed the incident as he pulled into his driveway.
“They were calling each other the B-word, so I figured it was just a girl fight,” he said to The Columbus Dispatch.
Brinson recalled that the fight got worse after he took his dog out and heard four shots. He later looked at his surveillance and concluded that Bryant could have potentially fatally stabbed multiple people at the scene if the officer did not intervene.
RELATED: Cop Who Shot Ma’Khia Bryant’s Was A Military-Trained Expert Marksman
“It was violent and all just happened so fast,” Brinson added.
As we reported, witnesses on social media say Makhia Bryant was defending herself with a knife during the fight and contacted police for protection. Once police arrived at the scene, they said the officers did not say anything or tried to de-escalate the scene and started shooting towards Bryant. Bryant was struck four times in the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene around 5:21 pm. A video of the shooting was posted by Tay Jones on Facebook.
Jones said the officers called the teen a threat because of the knife in her hand and exited out of the vehicle then started shooting Bryant several times. She added that several residents in the neighborhood reprimanded the officer for carelessly handling the situation.