Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation," Florida Rep. Val Demings said that "it appears" that the Columbus, Ohio officer involved in the shooting death of Black teenager Ma’Khia Bryant "responded as he was trained to do with the main thought of preventing a tragedy and a loss of life of the person who was about to be assaulted."
Bryant, 16, was in foster care with Franklin County Children's Services at the time of her death. Her grandmother, Debra Wilcox, described her as a shy and quiet girl, who liked making hair and dance videos on TikTok.
“The fact that I see what I saw on that video is not how I know my Ma'Khia,” Wilcox was quoted as saying by The Associated Press. “I don't know what happened there unless she was fearful for her life.”
Rep. Demings, who is a former social worker that worked with foster children, as well as a former cop and police chief in Florida said, "I also was a patrol officer who was out there on the street having to make those split-second decisions. You know, now everybody has the benefit of slowing the video down and seizing the perfect moment. The officer on the street does not have that ability. He or she has to make those split-second decisions and they're tough."
As the Hill reported, the officer involved in the fatal shooting of Bryant was identified last week as officer Nicholas Reardon, who has worked for the Columbus Division of Police since 2019.
Rep. Demings urged the country not to make this a political issues saying, "our good police officers need it, and quite frankly, the American people need it. We in Congress in both chambers can meet this moment as well if we have the political will to do so."
Rep. Demings said that informal discussions were still happening after the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed the House. Rep. Demings said that, regarding the passage of the bill in the Senate, she believes "we're closer than a lot of people realize."
The Florida Congressional representative for the state's 10th district said that the "George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is not perfect, but it is a major step in the right direction." She continued by saying, "let's get this done. We need it. The American people need it."