The Murder of Ma’Khia Bryant
It was a crisp sunny day on April 20th in Columbus, Ohio. Most people were glued to their television screens as the verdict for George Floyd — a black man murdered in Minnesota after being suffocated under the knee of Dereck Chauvin for 9 minutes over a counterfeit bill — was delivered.
Kimberley Sheperd, a neighbor recalls “We were happy about the verdict. But you couldn’t even enjoy that," Shepherd said. “Because as you’re getting one phone call that he was guilty, I’m getting the next phone call that this is happening in my neighborhood.”
The tragedy in question was the murder of 15 year old Ma’Khia Bryant. Ma’Khia was an outgoing, bubbly girl. She stood no taller than 5’7, she had bouncy brown curly hair and a full round face with large deep brown eyes. She enjoyed making videos on tik tok with various hair tutorials. Ma’Khia didn’t have it easy. She was living in a foster group home, and like most teenage girls she had trials and tribulations with friends. Living in a home that is not 100% your home. The alleged argument that led to her death was between she and a couple women who came to jump her who she coincidently lived with or near.
Police responded and arrived to the scene at the foster home at 4:44pm responding to a call where a woman reported that a fight had broken out and she was being threatened with a knife by another young woman.
Here is where things are unclear, and I would like to note now that changes will be made upon more information being released. The first is that it is unclear whether Ma’Khia called the police or another young woman did. Twitter accounts report it was Ma’Khia and articles have not confirmed. The second is what occurred when the police arrived. In the video that has circulated it is clear that an altercation is occurring. Ma’Khia is in jeans and black shirt going towards another woman in bright pink. Certain clips can almost depict this notion that she was the aggressor. However it is clear from multiple sources that Ma’Khia was defending herself. Quite frankly 2 against 1, I don’t see how the use of a knife would not be warranted.
The department released body cam footage of the incident from the point of view of the officer who fatally shot Ma’Khia. The officer gets out of the car and the footage shows the scuffle between Ma’Khia and another young girl. The officer yells “Hey! Get Down! Get Down!” Seconds later, Ma’Khia seems to go towards another young girl, who is pressed against a car. The video shows the knife in Ma’Khia’s hand, the officer fires four shots. The knife falls, Ma’Khia falls, there is silence.
Two minutes later Columbus Fire Department medics show up but it is too late. Ma’Khia Bryant is pronounced dead at 5:21pm.
Ma’Khia was under the custody of Franklin County Columbus Child Services. However she was in communication with at least her aunt, who initially stated that her baby was only 15 years old. Ma’Khia is actually 16, but regardless this needs to be made clear: she is a child.
She was a young girl who had gotten into an altercation with not one but two other people and was doing whatever it took to defend herself.
The officer who killed Ma’Khia is Nicholas Reardon. He joined the Columbia Police Department in 2019, he came from a family of officers, his father retiring a few months prior. Nicholas is young, a 23 year old white man born and raised in Ohio. His father Ted was an Air Force veteran and longtime basic training instructor at the department’s training academy. Nicholas grew up with a sense of allegiance to respecting those in uniform and those who choose to serve. He attended Columbus Bishop Waterson High School, and was on the wresting team, If you dig deep enough you can find photos of him back in 2016. Their team twitter account stated that Nicholas had planned on studying political science at Bowling Green State University, which is so creepy because I definitely applied and was accepted there in 2012, but I digress. Nicholas spent about a semester there and then dropped out. He’d actually joined the Ohio Air National Guard in 2015 and was a staff sergeant, part of a security forces unit, and has spent two six-month stints on active deployment.
Why I know so much about Nicholas Reardon and so little about Ma’Khia Bryant speaks volumes. Maybe its because of the 7 year age difference, or maybe it is because one person grew up and was given the opportunities to live this fulfilling structed life and another was vilified in death while trying to be a bright light despite her circumstances.
Either way Ma’Khia’s story deserves to be told. Now you can research her name, it is everywhere. There are a litany of arguments and articles already being produced. Organizations like NAACP and Justice For Black Girls debating on the circumstances of her life. Twitter drones playing Devil’s Advocate over the death of a young girl.
The truth is: a kid was put in a uniform and had no fucking idea what he was doing. He saw a black girl, he was intimidated probably from the scene, racism, and conditioning. Instead of tazing, instead of shooting in the leg, or sending a warning shot… he fired 4 times. I assume his adrenaline was pulsing, I assume there was fear, or a need to diffuse or set autonomy. I also realize a kid, under the age of 25 was put in a badge with minimal experience and called to do a job he was unqualified too.
I am not sure how this will play out. I think that we shouldn’t get our hopes up just because George Floyd’s murder was vindicated with a guilty verdict. Cases like this, there is gray area, there is excuses made and the lives that are lost become muddled into arguments about our blatantly racist and distracted country. Names become hashtags on social media, and clouded with memories that only are brought up when the next victim is announced. How we move as a people after Ma’Khia’s passing will speak volumes.
The after math of the murder was clear. There have been protests and chanting of Ma’Khia’s name in the streets. Her TikTok account has allegedly been taken down. There are stories from all sides regarding who called the police, and what was said at the scene of the crime. Apparently Nicholas said that Ma’Khia tried to stab him, which of course does not fit the evidence as she was going towards another woman. As this story unfolds though, I want people to think of Ma’Khia. I myself think of her as I look at pictures of her. Occasionally she wears a silver heart necklace similar to mine. Her hair texture is like my sister Alyse’s. Her loving personality described by family and friends reminds me of my other sister Leeana.
I remember being 15, I was emotional and passionate. I exploded at things, I was rambunctious. None of these attributes have been used to describe Ma’Khia, but so what if they were? I didn’t deserve to be murdered during a moment of disagreement and neither did she.
When I was 20 year old I got into an altercation with two young black women. We were previously friends and had attended a party together. Drinking, jealously, and drugs were involved. A volatile combination. I thought when I talked about this memory it would be funny and lighthearted. The fight was actually really traumatic. Sometimes I think, if I had a knife would I have used it?
The answer is: Absolutely. Are you joking? I would have been the Hash Slingling Slasher. I would have defended myself. Just like Ma’Khia.
I also can attest, that even at my age I would not have tried to kill my opponents, and I don’t believe Ma’Khia was either. She was protecting herself.
I also can agree: no one deserved to lose their life. In my case not me or the girls, or the young Howard man who decided to choke me in order to “stop” the fight. He chose violence as well. None of us deserved to lose our life, and no one in Ma’Khia’s situation deserved to either.
Ma’Khia Bryant should be alive right now. The aftermath of her death has been seen in videos. People coming to the scene heartbroken and screaming with valid feelings of emotion and upset. The situation should have been diffused that is what we trust the police for. They are to be problem solvers not igniters.
There are many questions and conversations to arise from this situation but here is the guarantee. Ma’Khia cannot have her life back, her family is traumatized and changed forever. And if it wasn’t evident before it is now: putting a child in a badge only leads to more violence, the future of everyone’s lives involved will be impacted forever.
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/04/23/makhia-bryant-tragedy-foster-care-may-provide-clue/
https://heavy.com/news/makhia-bryant-shooting/
https://lovebylife.com/makia-bryants-shooting-in-ohio-what-caused-the-911-call/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/04/23/fact-check-makhia-bryant-did-not-approach-officer-before-shooting/7356176002/
