Columbus, Ohio officer who killed Ma’Khia Bryant was trained in military marksmanship
The Columbus, Ohio police officer who fatally shot 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant on Tuesday, Nicholas Reardon, is an active duty US Air National Guardsmen trained as an expert marksman, it was revealed Thursday.
Police quickly released body cam footage of the incident earlier this week which shows Reardon approaching an altercation between a group of young people in a driveway. Bryant, facing away from the officer, can be seen pushing another female to the ground before Reardon drew his weapon and repeatedly shouted “get down.” After Bryant, armed with knife, turned to fight another woman, Reardon fired four times into Bryant. She died shortly after.
22 April 2021 • 12:00pm
US police are becoming increasingly militarised in response to an epidemic of gun violence
Credit: AFP
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If you want to know why it seems people are always getting shot by police in the United States, consider this.
The US has more guns than people. There are 120 guns for every 100 citizens.
In the global league table that’s over double the runner-up, Yemen.
Of all the guns in civilian hands around the world, Americans own about 50 per cent of them.
Oshkosh: ‘They’re Not Commercial Trucks Painted Green’
Oshkosh has made military vehicles since World War II. Recently, it doubled down on the military market by partnering with Korean armored vehicle maker Hanwha to compete for the Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle. But today, it’s famous for trucks. Tens of thousands of Oshkosh trucks dominate Army and Marine Corps motor pools, from ultra-heavy tank transporters to the 4×4 Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, the mine-resistant vehicle for frontline units.
“Oshkosh Defense is really unique,” said John Bryant, president of Oshkosh Defense, in an interview. “We’re really the only US tactical wheeled vehicle provider that has the entire portfolio of vehicles, from the heaviest, the Heavy Equipment Transporter, down to, of course, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.”
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Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images
Police reform is overwhelmingly popular, but basic reforms are undercut by police at every turn.
This is because police unions and departments create policy loopholes that essentially allows them to police themselves.
This is how bad cops avoid accountability.
This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.
Americans overwhelmingly believe that policing in this country needs to be substantially reformed.
That doesn t mean defund or abolish the police those are non-starters across the demographic board, including among Black and inner-city communities.
What people might call common-sense reforms like making officer disciplinary records available to the public and teaching officers that they should not behave as if they re occupying Fallujah are far more popular.