An Ohio police officer is facing a federal lawsuit over the fatal shooting of a pregnant Black woman two years ago, with claims that he was not properly trained or supervised. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, names Blendon Township and its police chief, tied to the August 2023 shooting of Ta’Kiya Young in a Columbus suburb grocery store parking lot.
Young, 21, was suspected of shoplifting alcohol bottles when officers approached her car. She partially rolled down her window while the other officer told her to step out. When Young moved her car slightly to the right, it rolled toward Officer Connor M. Grubb. In response, Grubb shot Young through the windshield. Both she and her unborn daughter, who would have been her third child, died at the hospital.
Last year, Grubb was charged with murder, involuntary manslaughter, and assault. He has pleaded not guilty, with a hearing set for next week.
The lawsuit argues that the officers rushed to escalate the situation without properly checking the facts. It says Young was treated like a dangerous criminal despite the minor nature of the theft allegation. The complaint also points out that Grubb had previous aggressive incidents with community members but was never disciplined.
This legal action targets the police department for its policies and training, claiming these contributed to the violation of Young’s and her unborn child’s rights. Earlier, Young’s estate filed another lawsuit against Grubb, supermarket chain Kroger, and a Kroger employee. That case involves wrongful death and negligence claims.
Grubb’s lawyer maintains that the shooting was justified. After the officer’s arraignment last year, the lawyer said the video shows Grubb fired his weapon because he felt threatened by the car moving toward him and feared serious harm or death.
Efforts to get comments from the officers’ legal teams, the police chief, Blendon Township, and Kroger were not successful on Wednesday. This case continues to raise difficult questions about police training and accountability.