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Ta’Kiya Young

Age : 21

Gender : Female

Race : Black

Date : 08/24/2023

Location : 5991 South Sunbury Road, Kroger parking lot

City : Westerville

County : Franklin

State : Ohio

Agency : Blendon Township Police Department

Officer(s) :Connor Grubb

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Pregnant woman killed by police during alleged shoplifting

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/24/2023, 21-year-old Ta’Kiya Young, who was approximately seven months pregnant, was sitting in the driver's seat of a Lexus in the parking lot of the Kroger at 5991 South Sunbury Road. Blendon Township police officers Connor Grubb and Sgt. Erik Moynihan were already at the shopping center assisting another person with an unrelated vehicle problem when a Kroger employee approached them and alleged that Young had stolen bottles of alcohol from the store.
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Moynihan approached the driver's side of Young's car and repeatedly ordered her to get out. Young denied stealing anything and remained in the vehicle. Grubb moved directly in front of the Lexus with his handgun drawn while Moynihan remained alongside the driver's window. Body-camera footage documented the confrontation.
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Young asked Grubb whether he was going to shoot her. She then put the vehicle into motion. The Lexus moved forward toward Grubb, who was standing immediately in front of it. Grubb fired one round through the windshield into Young. The vehicle continued forward after the gunshot and came to rest against the Kroger building.
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Young was unarmed. Officers broke the driver's-side window to gain access to her and began providing medical assistance. She was transported to Mount Carmel St. Ann's Hospital, where she died from the police gunshot wound. Her unborn daughter also died.
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The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation conducted the criminal investigation. Blendon Township initially withheld the identities of both officers, invoking Ohio's Marsy's Law and treating them as potential crime victims. Grubb's identity as the shooting officer was eventually established publicly.
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Nearly one year after Young's death, on 08/13/2024, a Franklin County grand jury indicted Connor Grubb on two counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault and four counts of involuntary manslaughter arising from the deaths of Young and her unborn daughter.
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Before the case went to the jury, the trial judge dismissed four counts associated with the unborn child's death after finding that prosecutors had not presented evidence that Grubb knew Young was pregnant when he fired. Grubb proceeded to trial on the remaining charges.
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Following a highly publicized criminal trial in November 2025, Grubb argued that he fired because he believed the moving vehicle threatened his life. Prosecutors argued that Grubb unnecessarily created or escalated the dangerous situation by positioning himself directly in front of Young's vehicle rather than moving away. On 11/21/2025, the jury acquitted Grubb on all remaining charges.
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Young's family pursued separate civil litigation. In August 2025, the family filed a wrongful-death action against Grubb, and Young's estate subsequently filed federal civil-rights litigation against Blendon Township and Police Chief John Belford alleging unconstitutional police practices, inadequate training and supervision, and a pattern of excessive force. Those allegations remain civil claims rather than established findings.
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In January 2026, a Blendon Township Use of Force Review Board unanimously determined that Grubb had not violated department policy when he shot Young. Police Chief John Belford independently concurred with the board's conclusion.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Connor Grubb was the Blendon Township police officer who fired the single shot through Young's windshield. Sgt. Erik Moynihan participated in the detention at the driver's-side window but did not shoot Young, so Grubb alone is listed in the Officer(s) field.
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Grubb's conduct generated both a criminal prosecution and civil litigation. A Franklin County grand jury indicted him in August 2024 on murder, involuntary-manslaughter and felonious-assault charges. After trial, a jury acquitted him of all remaining criminal counts on 11/21/2025.
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Young's estate's federal lawsuit alleges that Grubb had a history of problematic conduct before Young's killing. Among the allegations are that he improperly handled and harassed a minor during a June 2023 stop, physically intimidated and improperly arrested a woman, and failed to appear in court in cases that were subsequently dismissed. These are allegations contained in pending civil litigation and are not established disciplinary findings.
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Following Grubb's criminal acquittal, Blendon Township convened its Use of Force Review Board. In January 2026, the board unanimously found no department-policy violation, and Chief Belford concurred.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2023/08/25/blendon-township-police-fatally-shot-woman-thursday-kroger-columbus-ohio-sunbury-road-bci/70677400007/
https://myfox28columbus.com/news/local/takiya-young-pregnant-woman-person-shot-dead-police-shooting-killed-kroger-sunbury-road-blendon-towbship-identified-21
https://www.10tv.com/article/news/local/police-to-show-bodycam-of-officer-fatally-shooting-pregnant-woman-family-before-public-release/530-6d8a7795-6998-4b02-a9fe-0de7c27e883f
https://news.yahoo.com/blendon-township-police-officer-involved-013834091.html
https://apnews.com/article/3c654a4d8a36cab244aeb74f31422fcc
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/ohio-officer-found-not-guilty-murdering-pregnant-black-woman-2025-11-21/
https://www.wosu.org/news/2025-08-20/takiya-youngs-family-files-wrongful-death-suit-against-blendon-twp-officer-connor-grubb
https://www.wosu.org/news/2025-09-24/takiya-youngs-estate-files-federal-suit-against-blendon-township-over-police-practices
https://www.blendontwp.org/home/showpublisheddocument/4098/639040663272900000

Bodycam Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPNX4aWOim4

Officer Grubb Indicted:
https://www.10tv.com/article/news/crime/officer-indicted-in-fatal-shooting-of-takiya-young-blendon-township-kroger/530-d9c42668-8056-4d5c-86bc-ecde4023ef4a