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New York Post
Officer faces murder charge after shooting a pregnant black woman accused of shoplifting
By Ronny Reyes,
3 hours ago
The Ohio cop who fatally shot a pregnant mother of two who was accused of shoplifting in August 2023 has been indicted on murder charges.
A grand jury in Columbus indicted Blendon Township police officer Connor Grubb on murder, involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault charges Tuesday over the death of Ta’Kiya Young, 21.
Young’s grandmother, Nadine Young, praised the decision as she claimed it was not reasonable for Grubb to point his gun and fire at the pregnant 21-year-old while she was sitting inside her car outside a Kroger on Aug. 24, 2023.
Ta’Kiya Young, a 21-year-old pregnant black mother, was killed after being accused of shoplifting last August. AP
“He took a lot from us,” she told reporters Tuesday. “It’s not fair. We don’t have her or the baby.”
“It’s been agony, it’s been like a whirlwind of hurt and pain,” she said of the past year.
Brian Steel, the executive vice president of the union representing Blendon Township police, said the indictment was deeply disappointing.
“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 said in a statement.
Attorney Sean Walton and Nadine Young, grandmother of Ta’Kiya Young, speak during a press conference on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio, after the indictment of officer Connor Grubb. Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK “He took a lot from us,” Young said on Tuesday. “It’s not fair. We don’t have her or the baby.” AP Nadine Young, mother of Ta’Kiya Young, wears a T-shirt memorializing her granddaughter during a press conference at the office of attorney Sean Walton following the indictment of officer Connor Grubb. Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
With Grubb’s indictment, local Police Chief John Belford said his department has started a disciplinary review against the officer.
“No one at Blendon Township has passed any judgment on whether Officer Grubb acted within the law,” Belford said in a statement.
“However, since people who’ve been indicted may not legally possess a firearm, the indictment against him leaves us with no choice but to begin the disciplinary process.”
In the video, an officer at the driver’s window tells Young she’s been accused of shoplifting and orders her out of the car. Young protests, and can be heard asking them, “Are you going to shoot me?” AP
A representative for Grubb could not be immediately reached for comment.
Sean Walton, the Young family’s attorney, said it was clear that Grubb should not have used deadly force when confronting Young, as evident by the bodycam footage released days after the shooting.
The footage shows Grubb and another Blendon Township officer yelling back and forth with Young, who denied claims that she had shoplifted from the store.
As the officers cursed at Young and yelled at her to get out, she can be heard asking them, “Are you going to shoot me?”
When she attempted to drive away and accelerated in Grubb’s direction, he fired and struck Young, who crashed her car into the grocery store’s brick front.
Seconds later, Young turns the steering wheel to the right, the car rolls slowly forward and Grubb fires his gun. AP After viewing bodycam footage showing the officer firing the gun, the family called his actions a “gross misuse of power and authority,” especially given that Young had been accused of a relatively minor crime. AP
Young, who was seven months pregnant, was given medical aid by the officers but did not survive.
Walton said that at no point in the encounter was it necessary for Grubb to use deadly force.
“In no scenario does someone shoplifting contribute to their murder by a police officer,” he said. “She bears no responsibility.”
Grubb is scheduled to return to court on Wednesday for his arraignment hearing.
With Post wires
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