COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio officer who shot and killed a pregnant black mother in a supermarket parking lot after she was accused of shoplifting has been acquitted of all charges, including murder.
Blendon Township Police Officer Connor Grubb faced life in prison.
A Blendon Township police officer has pleaded not guilty to murder, manslaughter and assault in the death of 21-year-old Ta'Kiya Young. Body camera footage shows Young refusing to get out of the car and then turning the steering wheel to the right before her car began to slowly roll forward towards the body of Grubb, who fired one shot into her chest through the windshield.
Franklin County Common Pleas Judge David Young, no relation to Ta'Kiya, dismissed four of 10 counts related to the death of Young's unborn daughter, agreeing with defense attorneys that prosecutors had not presented evidence that Grubb knew Young was pregnant when he shot her.
Jurors were shown body camera video on the first day of the two-week trial and heard testimony from a use of force expert, an accident reconstructionist, a police policy expert and Sgt. Eric Moynihan, the officer who, along with Grubb, ordered Young out of the car.
They never heard from Grubb, whose side of the story was outlined in a written statement read into the record by a special agent with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. He attended the trial, but prosecutors were unable to question him directly.
Grubb and Moynihan approached Young's parked car on Aug. 24, 2023, on a report that she was suspected of stealing alcohol from a Kroger store in suburban Columbus. She partially rolled down her window and protested as both officers swore at her and yelled at her to get out. Body camera video showed Grubb with his left hand on the hood of the car and his right hand pointing a gun at her. Young could be heard asking them, “Are you going to shoot me?”
She then turned on her turn signal and her car slowly rolled forward toward Grubb, who fired a single bullet into her chest, the recording showed.
In a statement, Grubb said he stood in front of Young's vehicle to provide backup and protect other people in the parking lot. He said he pulled the gun after he heard Young disobey Moynihan's orders. As she drove her car toward him, he said, he felt the car hit him in the legs and shins and began lifting his body off the ground as he fired.
Moments later, after the car stopped in front of the building, they smashed the driver's side window. Police said they tried to save her life, but she was fatally shot. Young and her unborn daughter were pronounced dead at the hospital.
Grubb, a full-time employee of the township since 2019, was placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting.
Young had two young sons, ages 8 and 5, who were raised by Ta'Kiya's grandmother, Nadine Young. Attorney Sean Walton, representing her family, told the AP shortly after the shooting that Young did not steal anything. He said his law firm found a witness who saw Young leave bottles of alcohol behind as she left the grocery store.
“The bottles were left in the store,” Walton said. “So when she denies it in her car, it's true. She didn't commit any theft, and therefore these officers had no right to even arrest her, let alone take her life.”
