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Columbus, Ohio Police Officer Nicholas Reardon shot and killed a Black teen, and his coworker shouts, “blue lives matter.” After the shooting, Tuesday, April 20, 2021, an angry onlooker screamed, “she was a kid,” and another yelled, “Black Lives Matter.” In response, one of the other officers on the scene retaliated by saying, “blue lives matter.”
Reardon was the first of several officers on the scene where an apparent fight had broken out. The scuffle was in full bloom when officers got out of their vehicles. A young lady was armed with what appeared to be a kitchen knife and attempting to do bodily harm to two others.
Ma’Khia Bryant had already pushed one girl down on the pavement and was told by the officer to get on the ground. Reardon fired four shots when she did not follow those instructions and lunged toward the second girl with the knife. All four bullets hit Bryant in the chest, and she went down.
In the aftereffects of the shooting, an officer was captured on film proclaiming, “blue lives matter.” An outraged Columbus citizen responded furiously, saying: “Blue lives matter? Insane. How dare you to offend us at a time like this. Furthermore, reports say the officer was wearing a face covering that said, “blue lives matter.”
Another Black life had been taken at the hands of a white cop. To top it off, the anticipation of the Derek Chauvin verdict was brewing. So, Columbus residents and bystanders felt that a cop shouting “blue lives matter” was a bit too much.
Written by Sharri Rogers
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
Daily Beast: Ohio Cop Shouted ‘Blue Lives Matter’ at Neighbors After Colleague Shot Teen Black Girl; by Jamie Ross
Essence: Ohio Cops Yell, ‘Blue Lives Matter’ After Fatally Shooting 16-Year-old Ma’Khia Bryant; by Kevin L. Clark
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Fibonacci Blue’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset image Courtesy of Paul Becker’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License