Ohio State Students Hold Protest for Ma'Khia Bryant
Protesters become upset and voice their opinions on the current state of police tactics and policies following a failure by Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan to show up and speak to protesters outside the Police Headquarters. Protesters gathered on June 2, 2020 in downtown Columbus, Ohio., Ohio at the Police Headquarters, City Hall, and the Statehouse to protest Police Brutality, the city wide curfew, and the death of George Floyd at the Ohio Statehouse on Monday, June 2, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images

The Ohio State University students called on the university to cut ties with the Columbus Division of Police (CPD) after the fatal shooting of Ma'Khia Bryant.

Students gathered on Wednesday in the Ohio Union, which houses student services, dining areas, and other university offices, to demand the school cut ties with the CPD. According to Fox News, some people made speeches, but there were no reports of vandalism or inappropriate behavior.

A university spokesman said that the school supports its students, faculty, and staff to peacefully express or state their views and speak out on issues that matter to them.

"Freedom of speech and civic engagement are central to our values as an institution of higher education," the spokesman said in the report.

The university had its own police force dealing with campus security. But they tapped the Columbus police for certain services, such as traffic control and sporting events, Independent reported.

Ma'Khia Bryant Shooting

A Columbus police officer has fatally shot the 16-year-old Black girl on Tuesday. Ma'Khia Bryant was said to have lunged at two people with a knife, as seen in police video footage.

The incident took place on the same day that former white cop Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd, a Black man.

Authorities initially said that Ma'Khia Bryant was 15 years old. However, her family confirmed that she was already 16.

Columbus police chief Michael Woods said the police officer involved in the shooting would be taken off the street while awaiting investigation.

Woods said the officers responded to a 911 call from someone who called about an attempted stabbing at a home on Legion Lane.

Upon arrival at the scene, officers were said to have seen Bryant brandishing a knife and charging toward a person who falls back.

She also lunged at another person who stumbled backward against a car parked in the driveway, and when Bryant raised the knife as if about to stab her, an officer opens fire, Reuters reported.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) had already opened a probe into the case, according to Woods.

The city's public safety director, Ned Pettus, Jr., noted that fast answers could not come at the cost of accurate answers as he appealed for the public to remain calm.

"BCI will conduct a fully independent investigation, which will be made public. If an officer has violated policy or the law, if they have, they will be held accountable," Pettus said.

Bryant's aunt, Hazel, earlier said that the girl was living in a foster home and became involved in a fight with someone at the residence.

Paula Bryant, the Ohio teenager's mother, said that her daughter was an honor roll student, and her daughter had called 911 herself because people were threatening her. Police have yet to publicly identify the caller, who called 911.

Demonstrations erupted in Columbus, Ohio following Ma'Khia Bryant's death. There was a crowd that gathered at the Ohio Statehouse on Tuesday night.

It can be recalled that last December, former Columbus, Ohio police officer Adam Coy killed Andre Hill, 47, as he went out from a garage with a cellphone.

Coy, who is white, and another officer, responded to a 311 non-emergency call for a noise complaint. Footage shows Coy firing shots just seconds after Hill, a 47-year-old Black man, turned around to face officers with a cellphone in his hand.

Coy was removed from law enforcement and was charged with murder and other charges. The former police officer has pleaded not guilty.

On Mar. 5, Columbus police officer John Kifer and Franklin County Sheriff's Office deputy Michael Severance got involved in the shooting that killed Andrew Teague.

The 43-year-old Black man had been wanted on a felonious assault charge for a Feb. 2 shooting. He reportedly exchanged gunfire with Kifer and Severance after a chase and crash incident. Teague was fatally shot and died at the scene.

WATCH: Mother of Ma'Khia Bryant, 16-Year-Old Fatally Shot by Columbus Police, Wants Answers - From WBNS 10TV