Officer Acquitted in Fatal Parking‑Lot Shooting of Pregnant Mother Ta’Kiya Young

An Ohio police officer has been acquitted of murder and related charges in the shooting death of 21‑year‑old Ta’Kiya Young, a pregnant Black woman who was killed in a supermarket parking lot after officers stopped her on a shoplifting report.

Blendon Township Officer Connor Grubb, who faced charges including murder, involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault, pleaded not guilty. Jurors watched body‑worn camera footage that captured Young refusing officers’ orders to exit her vehicle, turning her steering wheel to the right and then having her car roll slowly forward. The recording shows Grubb firing a single shot through the windshield, striking Young in the chest.

Franklin County Common Pleas Judge David Young dismissed four of 10 counts connected to the death of Young’s unborn child after agreeing with the defense that prosecutors did not prove Grubb knew she was pregnant when he fired.

During the two‑week trial, jurors heard testimony from a use‑of‑force expert, an accident reconstruction specialist, a police policy expert and Sgt. Erick Moynihan, the officer who, along with Grubb, ordered Young from the car. Grubb did not testify; a written statement attributed to him was read into the record by a special agent from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Prosecutors were unable to question Grubb directly at trial.

According to court testimony and the video, Grubb and Moynihan approached Young’s parked car on Aug. 24, 2023, after a report that she had been seen taking alcohol from a Kroger in a Columbus suburb. Video shows Young partially lower her window while officers shouted and used profanity to order her out of the vehicle. In the footage, Grubb has his left hand on the hood and his firearm raised with his right; Young can be heard asking, “Are you going to shoot me?”

In his written statement, Grubb said he had positioned himself in front of Young’s vehicle to provide backup and to protect others in the parking lot. He said he drew his weapon after Young failed to comply with commands and that, when the car moved toward him, he felt it strike his legs and lift his body off the ground as he fired.

After the vehicle stopped against a building, officers broke the driver’s side window and attempted life‑saving measures. Young and her unborn child were later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Grubb, a full‑time officer with the township since 2019, had been placed on paid administrative leave following the shooting.

Young left behind two young sons, ages 8 and 5, who are now being cared for by their grandmother, Nadine Young. Attorney Sean Walton, representing the family, has disputed the theft allegation, saying his firm located a witness who saw Young return bottles of alcohol to a store shelf as she left.

“The bottles were left in the store,” Walton said. “She did not commit any theft, and so these officers were not even within their right to place her under arrest, let alone take her life.”

The acquittal and the dismissed counts close one chapter of a case that raised questions about use of force, officer positioning near a vehicle, and whether officers knew of Young’s pregnancy. The family has indicated they are pursuing additional legal options.