Columbus Officer Who Killed 16-Year-Old Ma'Khia Bryant Identified

Officials in Columbus, Ohio, have identified the police officer who, on Tuesday afternoon, fatally shot Ma’Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old Black girl.

Michael Woods, the interim police chief of the Columbus Police Department, said at a press conference on Wednesday that Nicholas Reardon, a white officer who joined the department in December 2019, had fired four shots at Ma’Khia, killing her.

According to The Daily Beast, Reardon is a U.S. Air National Guardsman who was once recognized for his expert marksmanship.

Woods said Ma’Khia appeared to have threatened two other girls with a knife before Reardon fired his weapon. The interim chief noted that an officer can use deadly force to protect themselves or another person.

Yet it remained unclear, Woods added, whether Reardon was justified in his use of lethal force. He said the officer had been taken off street duty as the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation conducts an independent probe into the shooting.