The autopsy report for Ma’Khia Bryant, a Black teen who was fatally shot by an Ohio police officer back in April, has been released. According to the report from the Franklin County coroner’s office, the 16-year-old was shot four times in her back, lower torso, right shoulder and right thigh. Her death has been ruled a homicide.
As REVOLT previously reported, Bryant was fatally shot by Officer Nicholas Reardon on April 20. According to her aunt, the young girl called the police for help after getting into a physical altercation with two women at her foster home. Bryant, who was armed with a knife for protection, was immediately shot when the officers arrived at the scene. No charges have been filed against Reardon.
Angela Moore, Bryant’s foster mom, later revealed that an unclean house led to the fight that took place before the teen was killed. She said that when two of her former foster care children came to Columbus on April 20 to celebrate her birthday, the women began arguing with Bryant over the house being unclean.
“It was over keeping the house clean,” she said. “The older one told them to clean up the house because ‘Mom doesn’t like the house dirty.’ So, that’s how it all started.”
Andrew Ginther, mayor of Columbus, asked the Department of Justice to conduct an investigation into the police force following Bryant’s death. According to the Associated Press, Ginther and City Attorney Zach Klein penned a letter stating that the city needed additional help to reform the agency following a series of recent police killings of Black people and the department’s response to protests following the death of George Floyd.
“This is not about one particular officer, policy, or incident; rather, this is about reforming the entire institution of policing in Columbus,” Ginther and Klein previously wrote. “Simply put: We need to change the culture of the Columbus Division of Police.”