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 could have faced up to life in prison for the shooting death of Ta’Kiya Young. A federal lawsuit filed against the police chief alleges that Grubb was not was not trained or supervised properly and “recklessly escalated” his response to the situation.
Grubb and Moynihan had approached Young’s parked car on Aug. 24, 2023, about a report that she was suspected of stealing alcohol from a Kroger store in the Columbus suburb. She partially lowered her window and protested as both officers cursed at her and yelled at her to get out. Bodycam video showed Grubb had his left hand on the car’s hood while pointing his gun at her with his right. Young could be heard asking them, “Are you going to shoot me?”
Then, she put on a turn signal and her car rolled slowly forward toward Grubb, who fired a single bullet into her chest, the recording showed.
Grubb had pleaded not guilty to murder, involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault.
Franklin County Common Pleas Judge David Young, no relation to Ta’Kiya, dropped four of 10 counts relating to the death of Young’s unborn daughter, agreeing with defense attorneys that prosecutors failed to present proof that Grubb knew Young was pregnant when he shot her.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
