A police officer in Ohio, United State has fatally shot dead a black teenage girl while responding to an attempted stabbing call, less than an hour before former officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd.
The shooting occurred at a tense time with growing outrage against racial injustice and police brutality in the United States, and set off protests in the city of Columbus.
The city’s police chief Michael Woods said officers were responding to a 911 emergency call about a disturbance Tuesday afternoon from someone who feared being stabbed, around 4:30 pm local time (2030 GMT).
Police also released a portion of the footage from the body camera worn by the officer who shot the teenager. Franklin County Child Services identified her as Ma’Khia Bryant, 16.
Police said the video showed someone trying to stab one person on the ground and a second person.
The victim appeared to attempt to stab two people with a knife. The video shows an officer approaching a driveway with a group of young people standing there. One teenage girl is seen lunging at another with what appears to be a knife, when shots are heard and the girl collapses on the ground.
The officer is later seen tossing a knife away from the girl.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said the girl’s death was a “horrible, heartbreaking situation.”
He called it a “tragic day in the city of Columbus,” and asked his city to pray for the teenager’s family.
Ginther said the officer in the video, whose name has not been released, “took action to protect another young girl in our community.”
The young girl was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said.
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