Val Demings Defends Cop Who Fatally Shot Ma’Khia Bryant: ‘He Responded As He Was Trained To Do’

Florida congresswoman and former police chief Val Demings (D) defended the officer who fatally shot Ma’Khia Bryant last week, even as she called it a “sad moment” for herself.

On Sunday, Demings gave an interview to John Dickerson on Face The Nation, where she spoke about the Congress’ discussions about the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and other proposals for police reform. When Demings was asked about the Bryant shooting, she reflected on her own experiences in law enforcement as she spoke about how Officer Nicholas Reardon was forced to act “as he was trained to do” when faced with a chaotic situation.

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. But the limited information that I know in viewing the video, it appears that the officer responded, as he was trained to do, with the main thought of preventing a tragedy and loss of life of the person who was about to be assaulted.

The Bryant shooting occurred as America faced a flashpoint on racial injustice between Derek Chauvin’s murder conviction and the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright. However, much of the conversation has revolved around the fact that Bryant was shot during a heated confrontation while she was holding a knife and apparently in the process of attacking another young woman.

Watch above, via CBS.