COLUMBUS, Ohio — A grand jury has decided to indict the officer who fatally shot Ta'Kiya Young last year at a Kroger grocery store in Blendon Township.
Blendon Twp. Police Department officer Connor Grubb was indicted on four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault and two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
What happened?
Young was shot on Aug. 24, 2023, inside a vehicle in the Kroger parking lot on Sunbury Road.
Before the shooting, a Kroger employee flagged down two officers in the parking lot, who were there on an unrelated matter, about multiple people fleeing from the store with stolen items. One of those people was Young, according to Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford.
Young was in a vehicle when the officers told her to get out, but refused. One of the officers was standing in front of the vehicle when Young put the car in gear and accelerated toward him. The officer fired his weapon through the windshield, striking Young.
The report says Young was 25 to 28 weeks pregnant when the shooting happened. Her unborn child did not survive.
Reactions to the indictment
Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford said the department has started a disciplinary review now that Grubb has been indicted. He has been on paid administrative leave since the shooting.
“No one at Blendon Township has passed any judgment on whether Officer Grubb acted within the law,” the police chief said in a statement. “However, since people who’ve been indicted may not legally possess a firearm, the indictment against him leaves us with no choice but to begin the disciplinary process.”
Brian Steel, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #9, called the indictment deeply disappointing. “Like all law enforcement officers, Officer Grubb had to make a split-second decision, a reality all too familiar for those who protect our communities,” he said in a statement.
Sean Walton, the family’s attorney, said the law is clear on when an officer can use deadly force.
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“In no scenario does someone shoplifting contribute to their murder by a police officer,” he said. “She bears no responsibility.”
Young's grandmother, Nadine Young, said the officer never should have pulled his gun when he first confronted her.
“He took a lot from us,” she said on Tuesday. “It's not fair. We don’t have her or the baby
RELATED: Ta'Kiya Young's family urges officer's arrest after video shows him shooting pregnant woman
Kroger surveillance videos show moments leading up to the shooting
Surveillance video from inside the state liquor store shows Young putting several bottles of liquor into a bag she was carrying. The Blendon Township Police Department said two other unidentified women also placed bottles in their bags.
Young was inside the liquor store for just over five minutes before walking out with the two other women and setting off the theft alarms.
Young and the two women then promptly leave Kroger.
Surveillance video of the store’s parking lot shows Young heading toward her vehicle, a black Lexus, that was parked in a handicapped spot near the front entrance. The officers’ cruiser was parked nearby, where two officers were assisting someone in the parking lot.
The two other women got into a different car and left, according to police.
A Kroger employee then informed officers that people were leaving the store with stolen items, Police Chief John Belford said.
An officer is seen speaking to someone near Young’s car before he approaches the Lexus.
Police bodycam video shows up close interaction
WARNING: Graphic content. Some viewers may find this video disturbing. 10TV has paused the video that shows the gun being fired, although viewers will be able to hear the gunfire.
The body camera video shows one of two officers walking to the driver’s side of the vehicle Young was in. The other officer was seen walking in front of the vehicle.
The officers are heard telling Young to get out of the car multiple times. Young was heard responding to the officers, saying "For what?"
One of the officers replied, "They said you stole stuff. Do not leave."
She replied that she didn't steal anything and that the other girls were taking the items.
The officer replied said, "Then get out."
Young said, "I'm not going to do that."
One of the officers is seen pointing his firearm at Young through the windshield.
Young was heard saying, "Are you going to shoot me?"
She then put the car in gear and began driving the vehicle forward with the officer directly in the vehicle's path. The officer fired one shot through the front windshield and struck her.
Young's car then traveled about 50 feet before stopping on the sidewalk outside the store.
The officer broke the driver’s side window and the video stopped.
“This was a tragedy. Ms. Young’s family is understandably very upset and grieving. While none of us can fully understand the depths of their pain, all of us can remember them in our prayers and give them the time and space to deal with this heartbreaking turn of events,” Belford said in a statement following the shooting last year.