Ohio officer acquitted in fatal shooting of pregnant woman Ta’Kiya Young

An Ohio jury has acquitted Blendon Township Police Officer Connor Grubb of all charges in the 2023 death of Ta’Kiya Young, a 21-year-old Black woman who was seven months pregnant. Grubb had been indicted on murder and additional charges after he fired a single shot that resulted in Young’s death, but jurors concluded his use of force was legally justified.

The confrontation took place in August 2023 in the parking lot of a Kroger near Columbus, where Young was suspected of stealing bottles of alcohol. Body camera footage shows the officer with another officer approaching Young’s vehicle and informing her that she is being charged with shoplifting. When she refused repeated commands to get out of the car, Grubb stood in front of the vehicle with his gun drawn.

If reported Through The Wall Street Journal, The video captures the moment Young accelerated, prompting Grubb to shoot once through the windshield. Young later died from the gunshot wound; her unborn daughter did not survive.

Mark Collins, Grubb’s attorney, said the case was extremely emotional for everyone involved. “We believe they followed the law,” he said of the jury’s verdict. Collins added that Grubb will forever bear the weight of his actions: “He has to deal with this for the rest of his life. He took a life of service — and realized someone else’s life afterwards — and to walk around with that is a tough situation.”

When the verdict was read, the courtroom erupted with grief. Young’s grandmother, Nadine Young, cried out in disbelief, saying, “It’s not right! This isn’t right!”

Sean Walton, the attorney representing Young’s relatives, condemned the police response that led to her death. Walton called the shooting “a tragedy that should never have happened” and argued that Young faced an impossible situation as soon as a gun was pointed at her. Although Young had only moments to react, he said, Grubb — “who had years of training” — also made a split-second decision that escalated the outcome.

Walton criticized what he described as a pattern of officers responding out of disproportionate fear. “You have officers who have an unreasonable and irrational fear — with no weapons involved or with people exhibiting very minimal behavior — that they could escalate it to murder,” he said.

Special counsel Daniel Brandt said his team respected the jury’s choice, even as the broader implications of the case remain under scrutiny.

In parallel with the criminal proceedings, Young’s estate filed a federal lawsuit accusing Blendon Township and its police chief of failing to properly train Grubb. The civil case, which was filed in U.S. District Court in September, remains active.

While Collins insisted that “this was not a case motivated by racial animosity,” the shooting of a pregnant black woman — and subsequent acquittal — has revived long-standing concerns about police, race and accountability in Ohio and beyond.

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