A use-of-force review board has cleared an Ohio police officer who fatally shot 21-year-old Ta’Kiya Young, a pregnant Black woman, during an encounter outside a Kroger in a Columbus suburb, according to a written statement from the police department’s chief released this week.
Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford said the five-member board, empaneled by Belford, found Officer Connor Grubb did not violate department policy when he shot and killed Young on Aug. 24, 2023, during the encounter that followed a report that Young had been suspected of stealing alcohol from the store, the Associated Press reported.
Belford said in the statement that “The deaths of Ta’Kiya Young and her unborn child were a profound tragedy for her family, our department, and the community,” and that after the department received “the complete investigation and evidence from BCI,” the use-of-force board “conducted a thorough policy review and found no violation of department policy by Officer Grubb.”
The review board’s findings were based on a process that began after a criminal case ended without a conviction. Under the department’s policy, the board convened in December following a Franklin County jury acquittal of Grubb on all counts, including murder, involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault in the death of Young.
According to the AP report, four of the review board’s members work at law enforcement agencies in Franklin County, and one is a township trustee from Brown Township. Ryan Stubenrauch, a spokesman for the Blendon Township police, said the board’s membership reflected those roles.
Sean Walton, the attorney representing Young’s family, said the board’s results were “unsurprising” and that the department’s policies pose “a clear and present danger to everyone who encounters their officers.” In a separate quote included in the AP account, Walton said Grubb “chose escalation over de-escalation” and “chose to create danger and respond to the danger he created,” adding that the department cleared him rather than sending a message “that would protect lives in the future.”
The AP report said body-camera recordings showed Grubb and Sgt. Erick Moynihan approaching Young’s car outside a Kroger about the alleged theft. Young partially lowered her window and protested as both officers cursed at her and yelled at her to get out, and she could be heard asking, “Are you going to shoot me?”
The same recording described by AP said Young then put on a turn signal and rolled forward toward Grubb. The video showed Grubb firing a single bullet through Young’s windshield into her chest, and moments later, after the car stopped against a building, the officers broke the driver’s side window. Police said they tried to save her life, but Young and her unborn child were pronounced dead at a hospital.
The AP report said Grubb told investigators that he positioned himself in front of Young’s vehicle to provide proper backup, and that he drew his gun after he heard Young fail to comply with Moynihan’s commands. Grubb said when Young’s car moved toward him, he felt the vehicle hit his legs and shins and begin to lift his body off the ground as he shot.
Grubb, a full-time township officer since 2019, was placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting.