WESTERVILLE, Ohio — The Blendon Township Police Department will publicly release the body camera video showing an officer fatally shooting a pregnant woman after showing the footage to the woman's family on Friday, according to the police chief.
Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford released a statement saying the department is preparing the footage for public release, but it needs to go through a process, which includes legal redactions and other measures. The full statement can be read at the bottom of the story.
Ta'Kiya Young, 21, died Thursday evening in Blendon Township after being shot in the parking lot of the Kroger located at 5991 Sunbury Rd.
A Kroger employee told officers who were at the store on an unrelated matter that multiple people were fleeing the store with stolen items, Belford said. That included Young who had allegedly taken multiple bottles of alcohol. One officer went to the driver’s side of Young's car and told her to stop, Belford said, while the other officer moved in front of the vehicle.
Young then put the car in gear and accelerated forward, Belford said, and the officer directly in the vehicle's path fired one shot through the front windshield. Young's car then traveled about 50 feet before coming to a stop on the sidewalk outside the store.
Young was pronounced dead a short time later. The Franklin County Coroner's Office said she was pregnant with her third child when she died.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation into the fatal shooting, Belford said. The two officers involved in the shooting are on paid administrative leave.
Chief Belford's full statement:
"Following an officer involved shooting in Blendon Township last Thursday, we are currently preparing the body camera video for public release. This process includes the following steps: Identifying and applying the required legal redactions, proving the redactions to legal counsel to ensure compliance with the law, providing the investigating agency with what will be released to minimize any potential interference with their investigation, and then allowing the family of the woman who died the opportunity to see the video before the public does. Blendon Township has a small staff, but we are still committed to abiding by Ohio public records law, which requires records like body camera video to be released in a reasonable amount of time."
Belford released an updated statement on Wednesday:
“While legal review and video redactions are still ongoing, we will be ready to release the body camera footage of the officer involved shooting to the public by Friday after the family has had the opportunity to see it Friday morning. We spoke to the family’s attorney on Wednesday, and I am appreciative of his help coordinating with the family during this difficult time.”