By Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos
Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A use of force review board cleared the Ohio police officer who fatally shot Ta’Kiya Young, who had been accused of shoplifting, according to a statement from the police department’s chief released this week.
The five-member review board, empaneled by Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford, found that Officer Connor Grubb did not violate department policy when he fatally shot Young on Aug. 24, 2023, during an encounter in a Kroger parking lot in a Columbus suburb.
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“The deaths of Ta’Kiya Young and her unborn child were a profound tragedy for her family, our department, and the community,” Belford said in a written statement. “After receiving the complete investigation and evidence from BCI, the Use of Force Review Board conducted a thorough policy review and found no violation of department policy by Officer Grubb.”
Per the department’s policy, the board convened in December after a Franklin County jury acquitted Grubb on all counts, including murder, involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault in the death of Young.
Four of the board’s members work at law enforcement agencies in Franklin County, and one is a township trustee from Brown Township, according to Ryan Stubenrauch, a spokesman for the Blendon Township police.
Bodycam recordings showed Grubb and Sgt. Erick Moynihan had approached Young’s car outside a Kroger about a report that she was suspected of stealing alcohol from the store. She partially lowered her window and protested as both officers instructed her to get out. On bodycam video, Young could be heard asking them, “Are you going to shoot me?”
Then, she put on a turn signal and her car moved forward toward Grubb, who fired a single bullet through her windshield, striking her in the chest, the bodycam recording showed.
Moments later, after the car came to a stop against the building, the officers are seen breaking the driver’s side window. Officers rendered aid, but she was mortally wounded. Young and her unborn daughter were subsequently pronounced dead at a hospital.
In the statement, Grubb said he positioned himself in front of Young’s vehicle to provide proper backup. He said he drew his gun after he heard Young fail to comply with Moynihan’s commands. When her car moved toward him, he said, he felt the vehicle hit his legs and shins and begin to lift his body off the ground as he shot.
Sean Walton, an attorney representing Young’s family, said the review board’s results are “unsurprising” and the department’s policies are “a clear and present danger to everyone who encounters their officers.”
“He (Grubb) chose escalation over de-escalation. He chose to create danger and respond to the danger he created. Now his department has cleared him instead of sending a message that would protect lives in the future,” Walton said.
A full-time officer with the township since 2019, Grubb was placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting.
