Reacting to the shooting of a 16 year old brandishing a steak knife and threatening another young woman, one pundit opined the officer "did what he was trained to do". The incident happened in Columbus, Ohio in what appears to be a black neighborhood. From the time the officers pulled up to the scene to the shooting of Ma'Kiah Bryant consumed a chaotic 12 seconds. The officer fired 4 shots and killed Ms. Bryant.
Would the same thing have happened if a 16 year old white girl was in Ms. Bryant's position? That this question even needs to be asked is a tell. I would be willing to bet the white girl would have been disarmed by the officer before the use of deadly force.
Police academies across the country have been turning out warriors instead of peace officers. Instead of "serve and protect" the public, most officers have an "us against them" mentality that leaves an average of 3 citizens dead every day from interactions with police. The system needs a major overhaul.
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