Ohio police officer faces murder charges after fatal shooting of pregnant Black woman

An Ohio police officer was charged on Tuesday with the fatal shooting of Ta'Kiya Young, a 21-year-old pregnant Black woman accused of shoplifting last August . Young was suspected of stealing alcohol when Blendon Township police officer Connor Grubb and his colleague confronted her vehicle. When ordered to exit, she drove slightly forward towards Grubb, who then shot through the windshield, hitting her chest.

The unborn child, due in three months, did not survive. Grubb now faces murder, involuntary manslaughter, and felonious assault charge s for Young and her unborn child's death, as indicted by a Franklin County grand jury. His arraignment is set for Wednesday, following an arrest warrant issued with the indictment.

The union head for Blendon Township police, Brian Steel, expressed dismay at the charges: "Like all law enforcement officers, Officer Grubb had to make a split-second decision, a reality all too familiar for those who protect our communities," he remarked, reports the Mirror US .

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Young's grandma, Nadine Young, argued that the officer should never have drawn his weapon initially. "He took a lot from us," she declared. "Its not fair. We don't have her or the baby."

The last year has been incredibly tough for the family, including her granddaughter's two young boys, she explained. "It's been agony, it's been like a whirlwind of hurt and pain," she detailed. Relatives demanded charges against the officer immediately following the Aug. 24 shooting.

After watching bodycam footage that captured the officer discharging his firearm, the family slammed his actions as a "gross misuse of power and authority," especially considering Young was implicated in a minor offense.

The footage revealed an officer at the driver's window confronting Young with allegations of shoplifting and commanding her to exit the vehicle. While Young voices her objections, the officers respond with expletives and shouts, demanding she leave the car, with Young heard querying, "Are you going to shoot me?."

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A few seconds later, she swivels the steering wheel rightward, the vehicle inches forward, and Grubb discharges his weapon. Subsequently, when the car halts against a building, they shatter the drivers side window.

The police later reported attempting life-saving measures, but Young had sustained fatal injuries. Family lawyer Sean Walton unequivocally stated that the laws surrounding when an officer is permitted to use lethal force are clear-cut. "In no scenario does someone shoplifting contribute to their murder by a police officer," he asserted. "She bears no responsibility."

Some police departments in the US have rules against officers shooting at or from moving vehicles due to the high risk it poses to bystanders, with organizations like the Police Executive Research Forum highlighting the dangers of such actions, including stray bullets or the driver losing control.

The Blendon Township police department's policy on use of force advises officers to avoid an oncoming vehicle rather than discharging their firearms. Officers are instructed to fire only if they "reasonably believes there are no other reasonable means available to avert the imminent threat of the vehicle, or if deadly force other than the vehicle is directed at the officer or others."

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The fatal shooting of Young by police adds to a disturbing pattern of Black individuals being shot by Ohio officers, which itself is part of a broader national issue of police violence against Black people in recent years.

After the state's Bureau of Criminal Investigation wrapped up its probe into the shooting last December, a special prosecutor was appointed and subsequently took the case to the grand jury, which spent two days reviewing evidence. The role of the grand jury is not to determine guilt but to decide if there's sufficient evidence for a trial.

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Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford has confirmed that a disciplinary review is underway following the indictment of Officer Grubb. Having been a full-time officer with the township since 2019, Grubb has been on paid administrative leave since the shooting incident.

His personnel file reveals no previous disciplinary actions during his tenure, which marks his first job as a police officer.

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