The city will conduct an internal review to determine whether Reardon followed department policy, the Columbus public safety department said. “At the time I fired my weapon, I was in fear for the life of the female in pink,” Reardon said, referring to Craig. Reardon told investigators he didn’t think using Mace or a “hands-on” approach would have worked because of the knife in Ma’Khia’s hand, because he thought he was the only officer on scene and because Ma’Khia appeared much bigger than him. The woman Ma’Khia was attacking, Shai-onta Craig, had lived at the home but returned and argued with her, according to Craig’s statement to police, which was released on Friday. They said the decision followed a full review of the shooting. The killing further heightened tensions over police shootings of Black people, and also cast a light on the Ohio foster system.Īnnouncing the grand jury decision, special prosecutors Tim Merkle and Gary Shroyer said: “Under Ohio law the use of deadly force by a police officer is justified when there exists an immediate or imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to the officer or another.” The coroner listed the cause of death as a homicide – a medical determination used in cases where someone has died at someone else’s hand but not a legal finding. The killing led to a US justice department review of the police department in the Ohio capital. Police were responding to a 911 call from Ma’Khia’s foster home about a group of girls threatening to stab members of the household. Ma’Khia was killed in April 2021 by officer Nicholas Reardon as she swung a knife at a young woman, seconds after pushing another woman to the ground.
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