After police killed 15-year-old Makiyah Bryant in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, social media users honored the teenager by sharing some of the heartwarming videos she had posted online. 

Bodycam footage showed officers arriving at the chaotic scene on Tuesday after getting a call about an attempted stabbing, The Daily Beast reported. The shooting happened seconds later as police spotted Bryant, who they said was holding a knife as she was caught up in the middle of a brawl between two other girls. 

“Get down! Get down!” an officer yelled before firing multiple shots. 

As the teenager collapsed, witnesses at the scene responded with outrage.

“She’s just a f**king kid, man!” one person yelled.

Bryant was then transported to the hospital, where she died from her injuries. 

#Justice4BlackGirls, one of the social media accounts that's now celebrating the teen's life, shared a video of Bryant proudly showing off her fresh curls. 

"These are the only kinds of videos we will ever circulate of Ma’Khia," Justice4BlackGirls wrote. "We will never ever curate our trauma, we will never circulate our abuse and death. Even as we demand accountability, even as we resist, we will honor the fullness of Black girlhood. We will honor the fullness of Ma’Khia. I feel her vibrancy in this short clip. Sending an overwhelming amount of love to Black girls everywhere, always."

Another social media user shared a video of the young woman showing off her dance skills on TikTok. 

Following the shooting, Hazel Bryant, who identified herself as the aunt of the 15-year-old, delivered a stern statement after police killed her niece.

"You ain't gonna have her go out like that. Either you report the truth or don't report nothing," the heartbroken aunt said. "She was 15 years old. She didn’t deserve to die like a dog in the street.”

tw // murder , police brutality , shooting

This is Makhia Bryant's aunt. Makhia was only 15 YEARS OLD and she was shot 4 times and murdered by police for having a knife after she called them to protect her. #MakhiaBryant #SayHerName pic.twitter.com/hKuUu6WmNk

— ً (@dollivid) April 21, 2021

Holding a press conference soon after the tragic incident, interim police chief Michael Woods announced that the officer will be “taken off the street.”

“This is a tragic incident for all involved but especially for the family of the female,” Woods said. 

According to Hazel, Makiyah was fending off a physical assault when police arrived and shot her four times without any warning. The grieving aunt demanded for police to tell the truth.

“The police are going to lie. I’m so thankful that someone from the family was actually on the scene,” she said. “The police are going to lie. The police are going to cover up for themselves." 

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther described the shooting as a “heartbreaking situation.”

“The city of Columbus lost a 15-year-old girl," he told reporters. "We know based on this footage the officer took action to protect another young girl in our community. But a family’s grieving tonight, and this young 15-year-old girl will never be coming home.”

The teen's mother, Paula Bryant, raved about her daughter.

“She was a very loving, peaceful little girl. She was an honor-roll student, and Makiyah had a motherly nature about her. She promoted peace. That's something that I want to always be remembered,” Paula told 10 WBNS.

Protesters gathered in downtown Columbus after the killing, shouting “Say her name! Makiyah Bryant!” and “Black Lives Matter!”

Bryant's vibrance continues to shine in the videos she posted online, now being shared by social media users who are protecting her name.

 

The tragic incident happened as the guilty verdict was being handed down in the Derek Chauvin murder case in Minnesota on Tuesday. K.C. Taynor, an activist in Columbus, said it's impossible to celebrate the Chauvin verdict after the latest killing.

“It’s another murder,” he said. “They’re animals. They treat us like animals.”

Columbus, OhioHazel BryantMakiyah BryantPolice shooting