The great debate about the Ma’Khia Bryant case has found its way to The Breakfast Club. Earlier this week, 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant was shot and killed by Columbus, Ohio police officer Nicholas Reardon. Reardon was responding to a call allegedly made by Ma’Khia or her sister after several women repeatedly showed up to her foster home to fight her. When Reardon approached the scene, he was immediately confronted by Ma’Khia and another person fighting each other. During the fray, Ma’Khia was holding a knife and looked to be attacking a second person before Reardon shot her four times in the chest.
The polarizing event has one side that applauded Reardon for saving someone’s life, while the other side sees Ma’Khia’s actions as defending herself. Columbus police, the foster care system, and the adults at the scene have been called into question, and on The Breakfast Club, Charlamagne Tha God and DJ Envy were at odds over if the shooting of Ma’Khia Bryant was justified.
“He definitely could have shot her in the leg or something,” said Charlamagne. “But that’s not the way police officers operate. That’s not the way that they’re trained. I think it was excessive and I do not think that young girl should be dead today. Even if this is one that’s legally justified, I’ve heard social workers say they’ve broken up knife fights. I refuse to believe that was the only way to handle that situation.”
DJ Envy took a different stance. “I don’t agree with you on this one,” he said. “I mean, the cop got a call that said that, you know, these women were jumping somebody. They hop out the car and see a woman going at another woman with a knife. Yeah, maybe, if they would have shot her in the foot, or shot her in the leg, who’s to say she still couldn’t stab the young girl.”
Charlamagne asked Envy if he thought shooting the teen “four times was excessive.” Envy, answered, “No. I honestly don’t.” His co-host seemed stunned by his answer. “And the reason I don’t think that is because everybody sees one side,” Envy continued. “Think about the other side. Think about if that was your daughter.”
His co-host chimed in to vocalize his disagreement, saying that he’s a father and couldn’t imagine shooting a teen in that scenario. Charlamagne also stated that police have used deadly force on citizens without provocation, and without the victim being armed or posing an alleged threat. Envy was unfazed. Check out the clip, and a few responses, below.