COLUMBUS — An officer who shot and killed a pregnant woman accused of shoplifting has been found not guilty.
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The decision came down Friday morning after the jury deliberated for several days, our news partner at WBNS reported.
Ta’Kiya Young’s grandmother, Nadine Young, collapsed into sobs at the decision, shouting, “It’s not right! This is not right!”
On Aug. 24, 2023, Connor Grubb shot through Ta’Kiya’s windshield at a Columbus grocery store.
Body camera video showed an officer at the driver’s side window telling Young she was accused of shoplifting and ordering her out of the car.
Young protested, and both officers cursed at her and yelled at her to get out. Young could be heard asking them, “Are you going to shoot me?”
Then she turned the steering wheel to the right, the car rolled slowly forward and Grubb fired his gun, footage showed.
Moments later, after the car came to a stop against the building, they broke the driver’s side window. Police said they tried to save her life, but she was mortally wounded.
Young and her unborn daughter were subsequently pronounced dead at a hospital.
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Last week, a judge dismissed the most serious charges Grubb faced, including murder.
Ta’Kiya’s attorneys issued the following statement:
“Today, a Franklin County jury acquitted former Blendon Township Police Officer Connor Grubb of all criminal charges in the killing of 21-year-old Ta’Kiya Young and her unborn daughter. We are deeply disappointed by this outcome, but we are not deterred.
The criminal process requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt. That is a high standard, and the jury has spoken. But an acquittal does not change the facts. It does not erase what happened on August 24, 2023.
Ta’Kiya Young is dead. Her unborn daughter is dead. Connor Grubb fired the bullet that killed them both. This is indisputable.
Ta’Kiya was a mother to two young boys, ages 5 and 8, who will grow up without her. Her unborn daughter was 25 to 28 weeks gestation, viable under Ohio law, and will never take her first breath.
Officer Grubb positioned himself in front of Ta’Kiya’s car, drew his weapon, and fired a single shot through her windshield. Both lives senselessly ended over a shoplifting accusation.
The criminal case may be over, but our fight for justice for Ta’Kiya and her family is just beginning.
The civil court process uses a different standard of proof. It allows us to present evidence the jury in the criminal trial may not have seen. And it gives us the ability to hold all responsible parties accountable, not just one officer.
Our civil case will prove what the jury could not find beyond a reasonable doubt: we will show that Grubb created the danger by positioning himself in front of her vehicle with his weapon drawn.
We will show that Blendon Township failed to train or supervise him on encounters with moving vehicles and de-escalation. We will show that Kroger violated its own loss prevention policies and escalated a situation that never should have involved law enforcement.
Ta’Kiya’s two sons deserve to know that their mother’s life mattered. They deserve financial security. They deserve to grow up in a world where pregnant Black women are not killed by police over shoplifting accusations. And they deserve a legal system that delivers accountability even when a criminal jury cannot.
We will continue this fight until justice is achieved. The criminal verdict does not end this case, it just refocuses it. The civil case is now the primary path to accountability, and we will pursue it with every resource available.
The family thanks the community for their unwavering support during this difficult time. Ta’Kiya’s memory will not be erased by a jury’s inability to convict her killer.
Ta’Kiya’s life mattered. Her daughter’s life mattered. And we will prove it."
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