Ohio cop accused of fatally shooting pregnant woman charged with murder

An Ohio police officer accused of fatally shooting a pregnant woman has been charged with murder, court documents show.

Blendon Township Police Officer Connor Grubb allegedly shot Ta'Kiya Young, 21, last August after confronting her in a grocery store parking lot over shoplifting allegations. After Grubb and another officer repeatedly asked her to get out of her vehicle, Young slowly accelerated toward an officer who police say was struck.

Grubb was indicted by a grand jury on four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault and two counts of involuntary manslaughter, according to online records filed Tuesday.

Body camera video taken during the Aug. 24 incident shows a police officer approaching a car with Young in the driver's seat.

“Get out of the car,” a police officer can be heard saying repeatedly.

“What for?” Young asks.

“They say you stole things. Don’t go,” he replies.

A second officer then steps in front of Young's car, places his hand on the hood and eventually points his gun at her through the front windshield.

“I didn't steal anything,” Young said.

“Then go out,” said the said the first officer.

The officer is then seen standing in front of Young's car pointing his gun at him.

“Get out of the fucking car,” the second officer said.

“No,” Young is heard saying, followed by, “Are you going to shoot me?”

“Get out of the car,” the first officer replies, banging one hand on Young’s window and grabbing the slightly open window. window with the other.

Seconds later, Young turns the wheel and drives off. There is a noise as Grubb fires a shot through the windshield at point-blank range and heads toward the driver's side.

In a statement after the shooting, Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford said Young drove directly at one of the officers and “fired a single shot through the windshield,” killing him. Belford said the officer was the victim of an attempted road rage attack.

Belford also said Young fled while part of the other officer's arm was in the driver's side window, making him a victim of assault. As Young tried to flee, the officer's fingers gripped the window, the video shows.

Grubb was placed on administrative leave following the incident. The other officer was also initially placed on administrative leave, but he returned to work after Belford reviewed the body camera footage and saw no reason to keep him on leave, he said.

In a statement, the law firm representing Young's family called the indictment “a solemn victory in the pursuit of justice” for the 21-year-old and her unborn daughter, but only a step, not the conclusion of the journey.

“The grand jury's decision thankfully reflects the collective conscience of the community, recognizing this tragedy for what it truly is: a murder that demands empathy and justice,” the statement read.

August 1 would have been Young's 22nd birthday, the statement said.

Nadine Young, 61, said last year that her granddaughter was the mother of two boys, aged 3 and 6, and was expecting a girl in November.

“An unarmed black woman was killed. That’s what we know. Two children don’t have a mother,” she said at the time.