Ohio Police Officer Who Fatally Shot Pregnant Black Woman in Parking Lot Is Charged with Murder

Blendon Township police officer Connor Grubb was indicted on murder charges in connection with the death of Ta'Kiya Young

An Ohio police officer who shot and killed a pregnant Black woman in August 2023 has been charged with her murder.

Ta’Kiya Young was shot in her car in a parking lot outside a supermarket in Blendon Township, Ohio on Aug. 24, 2023, according to reports from The New York Times, CNN and the Associated Press.

The outlets, citing authorities, reported that Young was accused of shoplifting when police responded.

According to body camera footage reviewed by PEOPLE, Blendon Township police officer Connor Grubb and another officer approached Young, who was sitting behind the wheel of her car. An officer told Young to exit the vehicle when the car began rolling forward toward Grubb, who fired a shot through the car’s windshield, striking the woman.

Young died, as did her unborn daughter, the AP reported.

Nearly a year later, a grand jury indicted Grubb on charges of murder, involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault, the outlets reported, citing Montgomery Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr.

Attorneys for Grubb said in a statement reported by The Times that the body camera video showed that he was struck by the car and that his “actions were justified.”

It is not immediately clear if Grubb has entered a plea.

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In a Facebook video, Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford said the department is now required to take disciplinary action against Grubb as a result of the indictment, while noting he was “not passing judgment on whether Officer Grubb acted properly.”

CNN reported that Young’s family attorney Sean Walton commented on the indictment against Grubb.

“Today marks a solemn victory in the pursuit of justice for Ta’Kiya Young and her unborn daughter, whose lives were tragically and unjustly taken at the hands of Blendon Township Police Officer Connor Grubb,” Walton reportedly said.

A GoFundMe started to raise money for her two sons has raised over $12,000.

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