A Somber Win: Grand Jury Indicts Officer Charged in the Death of Pregnant 21-Year-Old Ta’Kiya Young.
Grubb was charged with murder, and Young’s family sees it as a small step toward justice, urging for a life sentence for the officer.
A grand jury has charged Blendon Township Police Officer Connor Grubb with murder for the fatal shooting of Ta’Kiya Young, an unarmed Black woman, in a Kroger parking lot in August 2023.
According to NBC News, Grubb faces four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault, and two counts of involuntary manslaughter. Young’s family’s legal team described the charges as a “solemn victory in the pursuit of justice” for the pregnant mother, stating that the grand jury’s decision reflects the community’s conscience in recognizing the tragedy as a murder that demands empathy and justice.
As previously reported, video footage from the Aug. 24 shooting shows the moment Ta’Kiya Young was fatally shot inside her vehicle by a Columbus police officer. The incident escalated after police responded to a suspicion that Young had stolen from the store. Grubb and another officer approached her in the parking lot, ordering her to exit her Lexus. According to NBC News, one officer allegedly banged on and grabbed her car window, and as Young attempted to drive away, Grubb, with his gun already drawn, fired through the windshield.
BE reported that in September 2023, the Blendon Township (Ohio) Police Department released additional footage showing Ta’Kiya Young inside Kroger, allegedly placing bottles of alcohol into her purse and triggering alarms after briefly standing in line.
During a news briefing on Tuesday, Nadine Young, the victim’s 61-year-old grandmother, shared that she is now caring for her granddaughter’s three- and six-year-old sons. She also mentioned that the baby her granddaughter was expecting would have been born in November, describing the experience as “agony” and “a whirlwind of hurt and pain.”
Sean Walton, the attorney for Young’s family, stated that the situation escalated because of Grubb’s actions and his failure to properly de-escalate the encounter. “…That’s why Ta’Kiya was murdered,” he asserted.
Walton called for Grubb’s immediate termination, and Nadine, who described Grubb as a “bully with a badge,” expressed her desire for the officer to receive a life sentence.
