Ohio authorities identified the officer involved in the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant as Nicholas Reardon and said that he is currently on paid leave.
The graphic footage of the incident was released and the investigation continues to determine whether Reardon’s actions were justified.
Reardon gunned down Bryant outside an Ohio Suburb at around 4:44 p.m. shortly after she called them asking for help.
She said that someone was trying to stab her at the foster home where she lived.
When police arrived around 10 minutes following her call, she was in a physical scuffle with two other girls.
Bryant armed with a blade raised her arm, police said, as she forced another girl against a vehicle, prompting the officer to fire at her multiple times.
She could be seen, falling to the ground, slumped against the vehicle. She was transported to a local hospital where she died.
“She was a very loving, peaceful little girl,” the teen’s grieving mom said. “She was a very loving, peaceful little girl.”
