As we’ve often seen with these cases of white police officers shooting black Americans that are heavily promoted by the mainstream media, the initial facts the public was told turned out to be false.
In the case of Ma’Khia Bryant, the narrative that we were presented with was that she called the police for help and they ended up shooting her while she was defending herself from attack. Some public figures, like Valerie Jarrett, went all-in on this narrative.
A Black teenage girl named Ma’Khia Bryant was killed because a police officer immediately decided to shoot her multiple times in order to break up a knife fight. Demand accountability. Fight for justice. #BlackLivesMatter.
— Valerie Jarrett (@ValerieJarrett) April 21, 2021
Unsurprisingly, Bryant’s family seemed to think she did nothing wrong and placed all the blame for her being shot on a police officer out to “kill Black folks.” As the Daily Beast reported:
“She was a good kid. She was loving,” Hazel Bryant, who said the child was her niece, told reporters. “She didn’t deserve to die like a dog in the street. The police are going to lie. I’m so thankful that someone from the family was actually on the scene,” Bryant said before the release of the bodycam footage.
“The police are going to lie. The police are going to cover up for themselves. They don’t care. At this point, I feel like they’re just out to kill Black people. They’re not here to protect and serve. That isn’t happening. That’s been over a long time ago. They’re not here to protect and serve. They’re here to kill Black folks.”
“It looks to me like that’s what the police wanted to do, to kill her. I’m just trying to figure out why,” Ila Bryant said. “We have to remember that we should love each other.”
Her mother, Paula Bryant, told 10 WBNS, “She was a very loving, peaceful little girl. She was an honor-roll student, and Ma’khia had a motherly nature about her. She promoted peace.”
A short clip was released that clearly showed Ma’Khia Bryant preparing to stab a victim before she was shot.
WARNING: This video contains graphic content. Police in Columbus, Ohio released bodycam video on Tuesday night showing an officer shoot and kill 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant. Police were called to break up a fight. https://t.co/IYmbbmvEwy pic.twitter.com/SPSIUm2KTQ
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 21, 2021
However, another video released from across the street gives us a better view of what happened. Ma’Khia Bryant is heard saying “I’m going to stab the f*** out of you b****” while lunging at two unarmed people.
WARNING GRAPHIC
New video from a different angle shows the moments leading to the fatal shooting of Ma’Khia Bryant when she was lunging at another woman with a knife
https://t.co/h6kqFntb5Z— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 22, 2021
If you watched the video, you’ll see that Bryant instigated the violence and none of the women she attacked fought back or were physically threatening her. As for the claims made by some people that the officer should have deescalated the situation, from the time Bryant bull charged the first woman to the point where the officer killed her as she was trying to stab the woman holding the puppy was about 6 seconds.
Maybe you can’t blame someone’s family for seeing what they want to see in a situation, but there’s no excuse for anyone else. That officer did the right thing and his quick action saved a woman from being murdered right in front of him.
John Hawkins is the author of 101 Things All Young Adults Should Know. His new website is CryptoNewsLinks.com.
Don’t miss The Dan Bongino Show
