Watch a previous report on Ta'Kiya Young's shooting in the video player above. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Franklin County Coroner's Office has ruled the death of a pregnant woman shot by a Blendon Township police officer a homicide. In a report released by the office Wednesday, Ta'Kiya Young died from a single gunshot wound [...]
Watch a previous report on Ta'Kiya Young's shooting in the video player above.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Franklin County Coroner's Office has ruled the death of a pregnant woman shot by a Blendon Township police officer a homicide.
In a report released by the office Wednesday, Ta'Kiya Young died from a single gunshot wound to the torso, with the bullet hitting her heart. She was pregnant at the time, with the fetus approximately 25 to 28 weeks old.
Sean L. Walton, the attorney representing Young's family, said in a statement Wednesday that the shooting was "unnecessary" and the officer needed to be criminally charged. Walton has identified the officer as Connor Grubb, but the officer's identity has not been confirmed by township police.
"As that process unfolds, our firm will continue to investigate the circumstances that led to these unlawful killings, and that includes the policies and practices of the Blendon Township Police Department," Walton said in the statement.
Young and several others were accused of stealing alcohol from a Kroger store on South Sunbury Road on Aug. 24, according to Blendon Township police. The others left and drove away, but Young was parked in a spot in front of the store in a Lexus sedan with no license plate. An officer approached the driver’s side and another the front of the car, telling Young to exit the vehicle “more than a dozen times,” which she did not do, according to police.
Young then allegedly put the car in gear and drove forward toward the officer “directly in the path of the oncoming car," according to Blendon Chief of Police John Belford. The officer shot through the front windshield, hitting Young. The car stopped about 50 feet away, on the sidewalk outside the store.
The Ohio Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting. Belford said the officers involved were placed on administrative leave.
