Democrat Val Demings defends officer who brutally shot Ma’Khia Bryant

Val Demings said “it appears” that the Columbus, Ohio officer who fatally shot the Black teenager Ma’Khia Bryant “responded as he was trained to do with the main thought of preventing a tragedy and a loss of life of the person who was about to be assaulted.”

The officer involved in the shooting of Bryant had been identified as officer Nicholas Reardon, who has been working for the Columbus Division of Police since 2019.

Val Demings urged the country to not make this a political issue saying, “our good police officers need it, and quite frankly, the American people need it. We in Congress in both chambers can meet this moment as well if we have the political will to do so.”

Bryant, 16, was in foster care with Franklin County Children’s Services at the time of her death. Her grandmother, Debra Wilcox, described her as a shy and introverted girl, who liked styling her hair and dance videos on TikTok.