Ohio officer charged with murder after fatal shooting of pregnant woman

A police officer is due in court on murder charges - after he shot and killed a pregnant Black woman, accused of shoplifting. Our correspondent Robert Moore reports

A police officer has been charged with murder after a pregnant woman was fatally shot in Ohio last summer.

Ta’Kiya Young, 21, was fatally shot inside her car by an officer last August after she was accused of shoplifting. Her unborn child, who she was expecting three months later, did not survive.

On Tuesday, a Franklin County grand jury in the city of Columbus charged officer Connor Grubb with murder, involuntary manslaughter and assault.

A warrant for his arrest was issued and he is due to appear in court on Wednesday.

Bodycam footage released last year showed two officers approaching Ms Young in her car after she was suspected of stealing two bottles of alcohol from Kroger grocery store in Blendon Township.

They ordered her out of the car after confronting her about the accusations.

Ms Young refused and denied stealing anything. She began to move her car forward in the direction of Grubb, who was standing in front of the vehicle.

He fired a single bullet through her windshield.

Authorities said last year the officers then broke her car window, pulled Ms Young out and tried to save her life but were unsuccessful.

“While it is concerning that an officer sworn to uphold the law has been indicted for homicide charges, no-one is above the law,” the prosecuting attorney said.

Brian Steel, president of the union representing Blendon Township police, said: “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."

Ms 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.”

She added the last year had been "agony" for the family, including Ms Young's two young sons. "It's been like a whirlwind of hurt and pain," she said.

After viewing bodycam footage showing the officer firing the gun, the family called his actions a “gross misuse of power and authority,” especially given that Young had been accused of a relatively minor crime.

Sean Walton, the family’s attorney, said the law is clear on when an officer can use deadly force.“In no scenario does someone shoplifting contribute to their murder by a police officer,” he said. “She bears no responsibility.”

Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford said in a video statement that the force has started a disciplinary review now that Grubb has been charged.

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