Ma’Khia Bryant family calls for federal investigations into shooting, foster care

The family of Ma’Khia Bryant, the 16-year-old girl killed by a police officer last week, said they will be calling for federal investigations into her death. 

The family said they are asking for an investigation into the shooting and another into the foster system that cared for Bryant.

“We’ll be calling for a couple federal investigations. One being from the Health and Human Services asking that we look into Ohio’s foster care system, starting here in Franklin County. We’re also going to be calling for a Department of Justice investigation into the shooting. And we’re still investigating who else could be at fault, because this can’t happen again,” Columbus attorney Michelle Martin, who is representing the family, said at a press conference.

“If you aren’t angry about what caused this, you are part of the problem,” she added. “We have to protect our youth, Ohio.” 

The call comes just over a week after a Columbus police officer shot and killed Bryant in Columbus, Ohio. Body camera footage shows Bryant with what appears to be a knife swinging at a nearby girl before the officer fired their weapon.  

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation was on the scene and is investigating the incident, police said.

Her death came minutes before a jury convicted Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, for the murder of George Floyd last May.

Bryant’s funeral is scheduled for Friday.

Her family did not detail Bryant’s time in foster care but said details of her experience in the foster system would be released soon.