‘Didn’t Have to Kill Her and Her Baby’: Pregnant Ohio Woman Accused Of Stealing Alcohol from Kroger Fatally Shot By Police; Family Questions Police’s Use of Force
A pregnant woman accused of shoplifting was fatally shot by an Ohio police officer last week.
The incident happened Thursday evening at a Kroger grocery store in Blendon Township, Ohio, about 16 miles from Columbus, WSYX reported. The woman, 21-year-old Ta’Kiya Young, and other individuals were accused of stealing alcohol from the establishment.
In a three-minute video statement posted by the outlet, Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford said that officers were already in the store’s parking lot assisting a person who was locked out of their vehicle.
A Kroger employee informed the officers that the individual who stole the bottles was fleeing the scene. The chief said the worker pointed to Young, who was in a car described as a Lexus sedan with no plates parked in a space for the disabled in front of the store.
Belford alleged in his statement that officers demanded she get out of the car more than a dozen times, but she turned the car on and did not comply.
“The woman put the car in gear and accelerated forward,” the chief added. “The officer who was directly in the path of the oncoming car fired one shot through the front windshield.”
He continued, “The car kept moving, and officers ran after it for about 50 feet. It then came to a stop on the sidewalk outside the store. Because the driver’s door had been locked, officers immediately broke the driver’s window so they could attend to the woman and begin medical assistance.”
First responders were also called to the scene, and Young was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Per WSYX, her unborn baby also died as a result of the incident.
In the video, Belford did not publicly name Young or mention her pregnancy in his statement. However, he did say he was in touch with the family. The officers connected to the case were placed on administrative leave amid an investigation.
As The Columbus Dispatch reported, the body camera footage has yet to be released, with officials citing necessary redactions under state law that need to be made. Her family told The Dispatch that police are trying to paint their own picture of Young before the footage is released to the public.
“She stole something from the store,” her grandmother, Nadine Young, said, per the outlet. “You didn’t have to shoot the woman; she would have eventually gotten out of the … car. You didn’t have to kill her and the baby.”
According to reports, Young is survived by two sons, who are 3 and 6 years old.