An Ohio police officer who shot a pregnant woman in a grocery store parking lot, killing the mother and her baby, while suspected of shoplifting was charged with murder Tuesday.
Also read: ON VIDEO | Pregnant woman, 21, shot through car window by police officer in Ohio
Ta’Kiya Young, 21 and six months pregnant at the time of the tragedy, was killed inside her vehicle in a Kroger grocery store parking lot in Blendon on August 24, 2023, according to CNN.
Video captured by the officer’s body camera shows the moment officers confront her and ask her to exit the vehicle.
CNN screenshot
“The store said you stole something. Get out of the car!” the first policeman shouted from his car window.
The 21-year-old woman did not cooperate and when she stepped on the gas, the officer fired at her through the window, killing her, the footage shows.
The car then drove calmly between two columns until it hit a building. The police called for backup and broke the car window to get the woman out.
CNN screenshot
Blendon Township, Ohio, Police Officer Connor Grubb faces four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault and two counts of involuntary manslaughter, according to a statement from District Attorney Mat Heck Jr.’s office.
Shortly after the incident, Ohio police said the two officers had not “waived their rights as victims,” which is why their identities were withheld.
Blendon Police Chief John Belford finally said Tuesday that the department must take disciplinary action against Connor Grubb in a Facebook post.
“I want to be very clear. We make no judgment on whether Officer Grubb acted properly. We have not seen the evidence,” he said.
The department had no choice but to initiate disciplinary proceedings because the individuals “charged cannot legally possess a firearm,” he continued.
