Just over a week before the one-year anniversary of the deaths of Ta’Kiya Young and her unborn daughter near Columbus, Ohio, police officer Connor Grubb was indicted on murder charges by a grand jury.
Blendon Township releases additional police bodycam video of shooting death of Ta’Kiya Young
Blendon Township has released Blendon Township Police bodycam and Kroger surveillance video of the shooting death of 21-year-old Ta’Kiya Young.
- Ta’Kiya Young was 21 years old when she was stopped by police for stealing alcohol from a Kroger store in Blendon Township, near the Columbus suburb of Westerville.
- The death of Young, who is black, sparked outrage and grief across the United States and led to calls for the police officer to be arrested for the shooting.
- Connor Grubb, 29, has now been indicted by a grand jury on charges of murder and other crimes in connection with the fatal shooting in August 2023.
A central Ohio police officer who shot and killed a pregnant woman in a Kroger parking lot in August 2023 has been charged with murder and other crimes in connection with her death.
Ta’Kiya Young was 21 years old when she was attacked by police officers who suspected her of stealing alcohol from the grocery store in Blendon Township, near the Columbus suburb of Westerville. As Young tried to flee from the officers in her vehicle, one of them fired his weapon, striking and killing the woman and her unborn daughter.
The death of Young, who is black, sparked outrage and grief in a country that had seen waves of protests – some of them violent – just three years earlier following the killing of George Floyd. In a series of protests and vigils following Young’s shooting death, activists and family members called for the arrest of the police officer who fired the gun.
Now, just over a week before the one-year anniversary of Young’s death, that police officer, Connor Grubb, has been indicted by a grand jury in Franklin County, Ohio, according to the Columbus Dispatch, a USA TODAY Network publication.
Here’s everything you need to know about Young’s death and Grubb’s arraignment on Tuesday.
Who is Ta’Kiya Young?
Young was a 21-year-old mother of two sons, ages 6 and 3 at the time of her death. When she was shot, Young was also pregnant with a daughter, who her family said was due in November.
Young’s death sparked several peaceful vigils in her memory and in honor of her unborn daughter.
In the days following her death, local activists and protest groups met at the Kroger to demand justice and accountability for the shooting. More than two dozen family members and friends gathered at Young’s grandmother’s home within days of her death, where they lit candles in memory of Young and her unborn child.
At Young’s funeral on September 7, mourners wore pink and white to celebrate their favorite colors.
What do we know about Ta’Kiya Young’s death?
About a week after Young’s death, Blendon Township police released body camera footage showing the view of the two officers who approached Young before the shooting on August 24, 2023.
Officers, who were on another call in the parking lot of a Kroger store, were stopped by a store employee who accused Young and several others of stealing merchandise from the store, including alcohol.
In the footage, Young is already seen in the four-door sedan when one officer approaches the driver’s side and the other approaches the front of the vehicle. One of the officers tells her to get out of the vehicle, at which point Young partially rolls down her window and asks, “What for?”
Eventually, the video shows Young driving forward and hitting the officer in front of her car – now identified as Grubb – whose feet are off the ground as he fires a single shot through the windshield. Young’s vehicle continued driving until it struck the building.
A passerby, who happened to be an emergency doctor, assisted police at the scene until paramedics arrived and took her to Young Mount Carmel St. Ann’s Hospital, where the woman succumbed to her injuries.
An autopsy later confirmed that Young had died of gunshot wounds to the chest. Officers did not know that Young was pregnant, police later said.
After the shooting, Blendon Township police requested that the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation conduct an outside investigation into the shooting. The procedure is standard among Ohio police departments when one of their officers kills or injures someone in a shooting.
Who is Connor Grubb, the police officer who shot Young?
Grubb, 29, has been a Blendon Township police officer since 2019, according to Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy records.
It is the only police department Grubb has worked for in Ohio. He and the other officer who approached Young that day were initially placed on paid administrative leave, but as of Monday, Grubb is listed with the department as a full-time officer.
After the charges against Grubb were announced, Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford said in a video message that the department would initiate disciplinary proceedings “immediately.”
“I want to be very clear: We are not making a judgment about whether Officer Grubb acted correctly,” Belford said. “We have not seen the evidence.”
Grubb attended the Delaware Area Career Center’s law enforcement program before being hired in Blendon Township.
What is Grubb accused of in connection with Young’s death?
Grubb is charged with four counts of murder, four counts of aggravated assault and two counts of manslaughter, according to an indictment filed Tuesday in Franklin County Court.
Two of the murder charges relate to Young’s death, while the other two charges relate to the death of her unborn child.
Under Ohio law, a person can be charged with multiple counts relating to different theories of death. In Grubb’s case, he is charged on all four counts for causing the deaths of Young and her unborn daughter as the proximate cause of great bodily injury, commonly referred to as murder.
While a Franklin County grand jury tried the case against Grubb, it was the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, west of Columbus, that tried it. The Franklin County District Attorney’s Office had asked the outside agency to review and try the case because there was a simple conflict of interest: The District Attorney’s Office would be the agency that would represent Blendon Township in all civil litigation.
Young’s family has not yet filed a civil lawsuit, but could do so at any time up to two years after her death.
What are people saying about Grubb’s murder charge?
- Attorney Sean Walton of Columbusrepresenting Young’s family said in a statement: “Ta’Kiya’s life and that of her daughter were snuffed out by an act of brutality, further symbolizing the urgent need for reform in police conduct and accountability.”
- Nadine YoungYoung’s grandmother said at a press conference on Tuesday: “It was wrong of him to take her and the baby from this world,” said Nadine Young.
- Mark Collins and Kaitlyn StephensLocal attorneys who have represented other police officers charged in on-duty shootings said in a statement Tuesday that “from the perspective of a reasonable police officer, if there is video evidence showing Officer Grubb was struck by a moving vehicle, the evidence will show that our client’s actions were justified… This case is not about whether Connor Grubb made the decision to use deadly force, but why he made the decision to use deadly force.”
- Brian SteelPresident of the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9, said in a statement that the union was “deeply disappointed” by Grubb’s indictment. “Like all police officers, Officer Grubb had to make a split-second decision…these decisions are made under extreme pressure and often in life-threatening situations, with the primary goal of protecting the lives of the community and their own.”
What happens next? Find out when Grubb will appear in court
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office said the court issued an arrest warrant for Grubb as part of the indictment.
According to an online court filing, Grubb’s first court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
