Officer Acquitted in 2023 Shooting Death of Pregnant Black Woman Ta’Kiya Young
A Franklin County jury acquitted Blendon Township police Officer Connor Grubb on Friday of all charges stemming from the fatal shooting of 21-year-old Ta’Kiya Young, a pregnant Black mother suspected of shoplifting, in a case that has reignited national debates over police use of force and racial justice.
The verdict, delivered after less than two days of deliberation, cleared Grubb of murder, felonious assault, and involuntary manslaughter charges in the August 2023 incident.
The Shooting Death of Takiya Young
Young, who was seven months pregnant at the time, was killed in the parking lot of a Kroger supermarket in suburban Columbus after officers responded to a report of stolen alcohol. Body camera footage captured a tense confrontation: Officers Sgt. Erick Moynihan and Grubb approached Young's vehicle, demanding she exit. As Young protested and partially lowered her window, asking, “Are you going to shoot me?”, her car began to roll slowly forward toward Grubb, who was positioned in front of it with his hand on the hood.
Grubb fired a single shot through the windshield, striking Young in the chest. She and her unborn child were pronounced dead at a hospital despite emergency efforts.The acquittal capped a two-week trial marked by emotional testimony and stark divisions.
Prosecutors argued that Grubb's actions were unjustified, pointing to the slow speed of the vehicle—estimated at under 5 mph—and expert analysis suggesting the officer placed himself in unnecessary danger. A use-of-force expert and accident reconstructionist testified that Young posed no imminent threat, while a police policy expert criticized Grubb's positioning as a violation of training protocols.
Grubb's defense maintained that the officer acted in self-defense, believing the vehicle movement endangered his life and that of his partner. In a written statement read aloud by an Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation agent—Grubb did not testify— the officer described feeling the car hit his legs and shins before firing, emphasizing his role in providing backup during the stop. Earlier in the proceedings, Judge David Young dismissed four counts related to the death of Young's fetus, ruling that prosecutors failed to prove Grubb knew she was pregnant.The courtroom fell silent as the not-guilty verdicts were read, but Young's family erupted in grief. Her grandmother, Nadine Young, collapsed into sobs, shouting, “It’s not right! This is not right!” as she was consoled by relatives. Nadine, who is raising Young's two young sons—now ages 8 and 5—later told reporters the decision felt like a betrayal of justice.Sean Walton, an attorney for the Young family, decried the outcome as “an American tragedy” and evidence of a “dual system of justice.”
In a statement outside the courthouse, he said, “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 vowed to file a civil lawsuit against Blendon Township and its police department, adding, “It normalizes irrational fear and escalation.”
Grubb's defense attorney, Mark Collins, expressed relief for his client but acknowledged the lasting toll. “For the rest of his life, he has to deal with this,” Collins said. “He took a life on duty and realized another’s life after the fact, and to walk around with that is a difficult situation.” Collins called the indictment “unconscionable” and urged reforms to Ohio's grand jury process, which he said unfairly targeted officers in high-stress scenarios.
The verdict sparked immediate protests outside the Franklin County Courthouse, where dozens of demonstrators gathered, chanting “No justice, no peace” and holding signs reading “Justice for Ta’Kiya.” Organizers from Black Lives Matter Columbus and local advocacy groups decried the decision as emblematic of systemic bias in policing.
On social media, reactions poured in, ranging from outrage—“This is an abomination. Ta’Kiya Young and her unborn child deserve justice”—to defenses of the jury's call, with one user noting, “If she had simply complied... this tragedy never happens.
”The case draws parallels to other high-profile police shootings, including the 2020 killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis and recent incidents in Columbus, underscoring ongoing tensions over accountability. Blendon Township Police Chief Robert Davis issued a brief statement supporting the jury's decision and affirming Grubb's return to duty, though details remain unclear.
As the Young family prepares for civil action, the acquittal leaves unresolved questions about de-escalation training and the split-second decisions that define life and death encounters.
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