Ohio police officer shoots, kills girl holding knife

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Police shot and killed a teenage girl Tuesday afternoon in Columbus just as the verdict was being announced in the trial for the killing of George Floyd.

Police on Tuesday night at a news conference showed bodycam video of the officer shooting the girl, who was Black, as she appeared to attempt to stab two people with a knife.

A black-handled blade resembling a kitchen knife or steak knife appeared to be lying on the sidewalk next to her immediately after she was shot and fell.

State law allows police to use deadly force to protect themselves or others, and investigators will determine whether this shooting was such an instance, interim police Chief Michael Woods told the news conference.

Officers had responded to an attempted stabbing call when police shot the girl about 4:45 p.m., police said. The 911 caller reported a female was trying to stab them before hanging up, they said.

The girl was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said.

It’s unclear whether anyone else was injured.

“This afternoon a young woman tragically lost her life,” Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther tweeted.

He later said at the news conference, “We know based on this footage the officer took action to protect another young girl in our community.”

Police who answered the department’s phone, and officers on scene were not able to provide details to The Associated Press.

A crowd had gathered Tuesday night at the scene on Legion Lane, which police had partly blocked off to traffic. Others gathered at the city’s police headquarters to protest, a week after officers pepper-sprayed a group that tried to enter the headquarters over the police killing of a man who had a gun in a hospital emergency room.