COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A grand jury decided Friday not to criminally charge the Columbus police officer who shot and killed 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant last year.
The jury found no probable cause that officer Nicholas Reardon committed any crimes when he fatally shot Bryant while responding to a domestic dispute on the city’s East Side last April, according to Jeff Simpson, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge.
Bryant, who was a foster child under the care of Franklin County Children Services, died after being shot four times by Columbus Police Officer Nicholas Reardon on April 20.
Michelle Martin, attorney for the family of Ma’Khia Bryant, said the teen’s family is disappointed in the jury’s failure to indict Reardon.
“Ma’Khia’s family has long wondered why this officer opted for lethal force even though there should have been other non-deadly options available to deal with this situation,” Martin said.
It’s been almost a year since Bryant died, and Martin said her family is committed to advocating for improvements to the Ohio foster care system — which they said “is failing our children.”
“We believe that the tragedy that ultimately resulted in Ma’Khia’s death started long before she was shot and killed by a Columbus police officer,” Martin said. “There must be full-scale changes made to Ohio’s foster care system to ensure that this doesn’t happen to another child.”
Body camera footage released by Columbus police appears to show Bryant wielding a knife and charging at another person.
Footage from Reardon’s camera shows he fired his gun four times before Bryant fell to the ground. Officers at the scene, including Reardon, can be seen administering first aid and CPR to Bryant.
Bryant’s death was ruled a homicide in August, according to the Franklin County Coroner’s Office.
Columbus’ Department of Public Safety said it will conduct an administrative investigation to determine whether Reardon’s actions fell within the division’s policy.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost released the complete investigative files, some of which include graphic content, surrounding Bryant’s death online Friday.
