Columbus Police Officer Cleared Of Criminal Charges For The Killing Of Ma’Khia Bryant

Officer Nicholas Reardon has been cleared of all criminal charges in the shooting death of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant.

In 2021, the news broke about Bryant’s killing by officer Reardon when the teenager got into an altercation with other girls at her group home. 

It was reported that Bryant had swung a knife on a former resident and pushed another one on the ground. Reardon responded to the call at the group home stating that there were girls threatening to stab the residents. 

He also stated that he believed that using “mace or physical force would not have been effective in the situation.” 

“At the time I fired my weapon, I was in fear for the life of the female in pink,” Reardon said. 

Ma’Khia Bryant was shot four times and succumbed to her injuries. Her death was listed as a homicide.