The Ohio police officer who shot and killed Ta’Kiya Young was acquitted on all counts Friday, including murder. Young was a pregnant Black mother who Connor Grubb believed was shoplifting when he fired at her in a store parking lot in 2023. The Blendon Township officer had faced up to life in prison if convicted, per the Associated Press.
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What Happened To Ta’Kiya Young?
Bodycam recordings showed Ta’Kiya Young refusing to exit her car outside a Kroger store in suburban Columbus, Ohio, on August 24, 2023. Grubb and Sgt. Erick Moynihan had approached Young’s parked car after receiving a call about a possible alcohol theft. She partially lowered her window and protested as both officers cursed at her and yelled for her to get out. Bodycam video showed Grubb had his left hand on the car’s hood while pointing his gun at her with his right. Young could be heard asking them, “Are you going to shoot me?” Then, she put on a turn signal and her car rolled slowly forward toward Grubb.
In his statement, Grubb said he positioned himself in front of Young’s vehicle to provide backup and to protect other people. He said he drew his gun after he heard Ta’Kiya fail to comply with Moynihan’s commands. When her car moved toward him, he said he felt the vehicle hit his legs and shins. As the car allegedly began to lift his body off the ground, he fired the gun. The bullet went through the windshield and hit Young in the chest. Moments later, after the car came to a stop against the building, they broke the driver’s side window. Police said they tried to save her life, but she was mortally wounded. Young and her child were pronounced dead at a hospital.
Ohio Officer Acquitted, His Lawyer Speaks Out
Connor Grubb had pleaded not guilty to murder, involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault in the death of Ta’Kiya Young. Additionally, Judge David Young, no relation to Ta’Kiya, dropped four of 10 counts relating to the death of Young’s baby. Judge Young agreed with defense attorneys that prosecutors didn’t prove Grubb knew Ta’Kiya was seven months’ pregnant when he shot her.
During the trial, jurors saw bodycam video and heard testimony from a use-of-force expert, an accident reconstructionist, a police policy expert and Sgt. Erick Moynihan. But, they never heard from Grubb. His side of the story was contained in the written statement referenced above. A special agent for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation read the statement into court record. Grubb attended the trial, but prosecutors were unable to question him directly.
After the acquittal, defense attorney Mark Collins said Conner Grubb and his family are relieved. However, Collins clarified that it’s wrong to suggest Grubb was untouched by Ta’Kiya Young’s and her unborn daughter’s deaths.
“For the rest of his life, he has to deal with this,” Mark Collins said. “Trust me, you didn’t get to hear from him because the government put his statement out, but he took a life on duty and realized another’s life after the fact, and to walk around with that is a difficult situation.”
At the same time, Collins called it “unconscionable” that a law enforcement officer would be indicted for felony murder in such a case. He said legislators should fix Ohio’s grand jury system.
Ta’Kiya Young’s Family Reacts To Ruling On Connor Grubb
Sean Walton, an attorney for the Young family, called it “an American tragedy,” the outcome of a dual system of justice in the U.S. He vowed to keep pursuing a lawsuit against the township and police chief.
“It’s also heartbreaking because what it does is it normalizes the behavior like that Connor Grubb exhibited that day, and that is not normal,” Walton said. “If you look at these recent police killings in Columbus, you have officers who have an irrational fear with no weapons involved or folks doing very minimal behavior that they escalate into a murder.”
In the meantime, Ta’Kiya’s grandmother, Nadine Young, has taken on raising her great-grandsons, now 8 and 5 years old. She collapsed into sobs at the acquittal, shouting, “It’s not right! This is not right!” The judge then told Connor Grubb he was free to go.
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Associated Press writers Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos and Julie Carr Smyth contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.
